眠りの庭

by Akane Chihaya, 千早 茜

白い肌に、長い髪、そして細い身体。彼女に関わる男たちは、みないつのまにか魅了されていく。そしてやがて明らかになる彼女に隠された真実。２つの物語がひとつにつながったとき、衝撃の真実が明らかになる。

232 pages, Tankobon Hardcover

First published November 22, 2013

Reviews

[Mochi]

4.5 stars. A mystery told in two sections, in modern day timelines. In the first, the main character, Sanami, is a recent graduate from a posh all-girls' high school where she meets temporary art teacher, Hagiwara, who was also a student of Sanami's father at university, a well-known artist and professor named Makabe Shūrin. There are secrets to Sanami that we discover through the first part which were dark, mysterious and twisted. In the second part, the life of a seemingly normal couple in their 20s, Yō and Mio, takes a twist and we are led through a path of secrets once again.

I'm not usually a reader of mystery but was so taken by the beautiful cover and ended up enjoying this book. It was compelling, with each character having a distinct personality - some disturbing and creepy ones - the author explored multiple facets of not only the characters but also the relationships they had with each other. The two plots are told through the perspectives of Hagiwara and Yō respectively, and they were almost like short stories (one of my favourite genres). There is always a darkness lingering throughout and the plot was quite disturbing at times, which was why it didn't end up being a 5-star read but it was gripping nonetheless. Beautifully written language and well-paced. I'll be reading more from this author in future. Highly recommended!