Синева небес

by Ayako Sono, Аяко Соно, Татьяна Бреславец (Translator)

В японской литературе появился серийный убийца – персонаж, совершающий многочисленные злодеяния без видимых причин. Ему неведомо раскаяние или представление о грехе. Он не испытывает чувства вины и легко оправдывает содеянное: «Я всегда делаю что-то без особых причин. Вот и людей тоже убивал без особых на то причин. Это похоже на легкую влюбленность, когда маешься от безделья и не знаешь, куда себя деть. Люди очень подвержены такому состоянию». Такова психология этого необычного для японской литературы персонажа, художественное исследование которой представлено в романе «Синева небес» (1990).

Genres: Japanese Literature, Japan, Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Ayako Sono was a Japanese writer.
Sono was considered to be a conservative and was also considered to be an advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who had had drawn controversy for advocating for a system similar to South Africa's apartheid for Japan's immigrants. She had also advocated for women to quit their jobs after becoming pregnant.

Reviews

[Paulina Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t really have words yet for this book. The beginning especially is disturbing, though not explicit. The final third was quietly and hauntingly beautiful. It’s ultimately a story about love but it’s a love that brings a person toward a death they must face. This is perhaps the first time I have found a Judas figure who was so profoundly innocent.

“In cases like this, you don’t hear the slightest suggestion about abolishing the death penalty. I wonder about that. We only seem to talk about abolishing the death penalty when there are no hateful criminals around at the time. But when some terrible criminal appears, or when the victim’s family say they hope the criminal will be executed, then the media put that out strong enough. But now, when there is a ‘murderous fiend’ gloating before a pitiful blood-smeared corpse, we may be truly sincere if we extol the abolition of the death penalty, for there is always some anguish accompanying forgiveness.”

(Rating books like this one is dumb but how else can I mark something that so ruthlessly made me consider my humanity???)

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wanna cry. I'm in love with humanity because of reading about a serial killer.

[Kiku · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ayako Sano's No Reason For Murder (originally Heavenly Blue in the original Japanese) is an interesting look at the lives of two people who happen to meet. Yukiko is a seamstress working at home who comes across Fujio in her garden. He asks her for morning glory seeds from the flowers she is planting, but Yukiko later discovers the packet of seeds thrown in a garbage heap by her house.
This sets the tone for the entire novel, which is at its heart a detective story, but also brings to the forefront the question of just how much dishonesty people can take in their lives, and the various delusions our own minds offer to justify our actions.

Yukiko, much like the author herself, is an extremely pious Christian, and this plays heavily into the framework of the story; she is often questioning Fujio, but always forgiving him--until she finds out that he is the one behind a brutal string of murders as well as the rape of one of her sister's colleagues.

Fujio, on the other hand, is an antisocial misfit with some real anger toward the world; living in a penthouse apartment above his parents' home, he is coddled by his mother despite being rarely seen by her, as he is usually as far away from his house as possible, driving in his car and picking up women. However, his relationship with Yukiko is even more interesting than the women he has sex with nearly constantly; a strained relationship that I'm not going to spoil in a review.

If you like a good serial murder story, or a serious look at relationships, you may like this novel.

[Jason Leary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. The central plot device, that a man can pick up strange women in his car and do bad things to them, pushed the limit of disbelief only because he was always successful in doing so. I found out toward the end that the killer is based on real-life Kiyoshi Okubo, who did bad things in the 1960s and 1970s. Maybe if it was set in an earlier time, this would have been more believable.

However, other than that, the book was well done. The other central character, Yukiko Hata, is one of my favorites. She is my new definition of sincere. And the setting and dialog are all engaging. Ayako Sono is not widely translated in English, but I recommend this. I don't think hard-core murder mystery fans would be satisfied. However, it's not a murder mystery at all. That is just the story from which we get to meet two true originals.

[kate klein :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. This was way too weird way too fast. Lowkey scared ✌🏼

[Olha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Цю книгу я обрала випадково, не читаючи навіть анотації. Не думала, що попаду на такий скарб. Книга неперісчна і крутиться навколо взаємовідносин зовсім не схожих на себе людей.
Події, що відбуваються і те, що впливало на їх розвиток, все дуже цікаво описано і наштовхує на тривалі думки.

[Ru · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you asked me why I read this book from start to finish, I’d give you one word — curiosity. From the first page till the very last, I wanted to know more about our two main characters. I wanted to understand how their minds worked and why they made the choices they did. If you asked me now after finishing the book, why Yukiko supported Fujio till the very end or why she still believed him to be a good man after all that I did, I wouldn’t have an answer for you. The same goes for if you asked me if I thought Fujio was remorseful in the end. No reason for Murder illustrates a very shameful aspect of humanity—our capability to do evil. Many authors shy away from exploring this theme. And even in the everyday man manoeuvres around this topic like a thorny bush. It was refreshing and dare I say, exciting, to have a peek into the darkness of the human soul.

No reason for murder gives you a lot of food for thought on morality. It also explores idea that people can have different experiences with the same person. This is seen through Yukiko and her experience with Fujio compared to his family and his victims.

Overall, I would recommend it for anyone who’s interested in exploring the dark psychological aspect of humanity; the limitations of morality; and how much religion may be used as a tool for redemption.

[Tiziana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - This novel gives you food for thought about morality and lack of it. Is man inherently evil or corrupted through life experience? Isn't there any humanity in someone who's a 'murderous fiend'?
And don't let the Christian label fool or deter you; it's not tedious and it's closer to the Buddhist way than one may think at first.

Complete review on my blog, Asia in Literature

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was surprisingly deep and complicated for me. I was disgusted by Uno and his logics but when I reached the ending, I didn't feel comforted either... the theme is obvious but it also looked grey at times. Strangely, I think it reflects life - the average kind of life with uncertainties and of being lost - and it gave me a dreary feeling upon finishing it.