Freezing Point

by Ayako Miura, H. Shimizu (Translator), John Terry (Translator)

Book by Ayako Miura

Genres: Fiction, Japanese Literature, Japan

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

"Welcome to the World of Ayako Miura"
"Ayako Miura" (Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Greg Baughman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite novel. I first read it when we were in Japan, and eventually tracked down a copy for a somewhat reasonable price when we got back to the states.(Currently, used copies are selling between $55-$133, while a new copy will cost you between $175 and $230). It is terribly sad that more people will not get to read this book.

Let's get one thing out of the way: the translation is really rough (to be kind). It swings from being too literal and formal to being too colloquial. It awkwardly translates certain words (for example "Japanese straw mats" for tatami) and inserts cultural notes into the text that would be better as foot or endnotes. I appreciate the concern to bridge some of the cultural gaps between the English speaking world and Japan, but this makes the translation cumbersome and at times tedious. It desperately needs a new translation. I hope that I see that occur in my lifetime.

This is a beautiful book. It is the story of a couple whose daughter is murdered. The husband, seeking to gain revenge on his wife for being negligent when she was to be watching their daughter, adopts the child of the murderer after the murderer commits suicide. What then unfolds is a complex, psychological story. Great stories show us how to live and teach us about life. This book shows how difficult it is to "love our enemies" (the life slogan of the husband), and the terrible effects of sin and hatred.

Miura was a Japanese Christian author who has a had a surprising level of influence in her home country. In this, her first novel, she paints a picture of sin and redemption that is subtle and beautiful. Like Lewis and Tolkien, Miura tells a story with deep redemptive themes. The book resonates with our experience as the very best of novels do. The book effectively communicates the Gospel through the telling of a wonderful story, a story so beautiful that it has become quite popular in its home country. Hyoten ("Freezing Point") has been produced as a drama for television three time since the novel's publication.

This is a beautiful book, and I hope more people get the chance to read it. It really is a shame that the translation is so stilting, as the authors voice is less clear than it should be, but Miura has told such a deep and wonderful story that even a rough translation is worth working through.

[Mikejencostanzo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The English translation of the book Freezing Point is currently out-of-print, but since I have immense respect for the author (Ayako Miura), I thought it would be worth it to track this book down. This past year it has been selling on Amazon.com for about $160, so I knew I didn't want to purchase the book! And of course living in Japan, there's not much access to good old "interlibrary loan!" So I was really excited when we were visiting friends in Sendai over New Years, and they had a copy on their shelves. They've let me borrow the book!

I think I perhaps I understand now why the book is out of print. I discovered that unfortunately, the translation job is quite awkward:

For example, during all dialogue, there are tiresome uses of "...he said gently," "...she said lamely," "...he bellowed loudly," "...he replied limply." I mean literally after every quotation, there's one of these!

Another example is that the translators waffle between making the English too colloquial (calling male friends "chums," or "gents") and using language that is too formal (calling their children "our offspring").

In all of my reading of other translations of Ayako Miura's work, I've never noticed these patterns. In fact other translations of her work have been so natural that they really go completely unnoticed. In her other novels, it feels as if Miura herself is speaking, loud and clear.

Here, in Freezing Point, the translation calls attention to itself. It gets in the way.

Don't get me wrong though. Miura still shines through. You cannot mask the fact that Freezing Point is an amazing story. It is a true drama that takes the reader on an intense psychologial journey. The quality of the story, I think, is evidenced by the fact that this book has been made into at least 3 different Japanese movies (1966, 2001, 2006).

Through this story, Miura brings the reader into a world where sins, and misunderstandings are never discussed. One sees, in tortorous detail, how harbored bitterness seeps into the soul, and grows to murderous proportions.

I found Miura's descriptions of the thoughts of a woman's heart very convincing -- eerily familiar in some ways. She really is an incredible artist at capturing the human psyche in regards to hurt, revenge, redemption & restoration.

[Liwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

我覺得冰點的作者厲害的地方是把人物的心境描寫的很詳細，包含仇恨、嫉妒、包容以及陷在寬恕和憎恨兩難的情緒。我不太喜歡看到冷冰冰、壓抑又灰暗的劇情，通常遇到這樣的內容得分好幾次才能把書看完，但冰點的作者節奏掌控的很好，讓我可以在看到快要窒息的時候，又再加把勁的看下去.....很讚的故事！！

[ツツ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first half of this book despite the premise being built on something I completely disagree with. I'm giving this book 2 stars mostly because the ending is a cheap resolve that reinforces and perpetuates bias and discrimination. Perhaps the book is too long; after the midpoint, it just felt like it was dragging on. Throughout the book, the wife—whose biggest sins are common human flaws—is portrayed in a much uglier light than her child-molesting husband. One thing this book highlights is how obsessing over "being good" can be a form of torture.

I'm aware of Japan's strong stigma against children of murderers, but I always subconsciously (and naively) assumed it was a modern phenomenon. The story opens in 1946, right after WWII (and was written in 1963). Isn't it a bit ridiculous to believe that a murderer’s child deserves nothing but contempt when the entire nation had just committed war atrocities across the Pacific Rim of Asia? So what if someone’s parent is a murderer? Literally every human being is descended from murderers and rapists. Perhaps people just want to bully others under the pretense of justice so they can avoid facing consequences or confronting their own conscience.

I can suspend my disbelief and find the story’s twists and turns quite enticing and realistic. Moreover, seeing every plot point tie back to an idea I cannot get behind makes me think about "執" (attachment) in Buddhism. To oversimplify, "hell is our own making." Am I in a hell of my own making?

[Minh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tuy gần 750 trang nhưng đọc cũng nhanh. Cái mình ấn tượng nhất là tác giả đã nghĩ ra được kịch bản đậm tính K Drama từ năm 1965 rồi. Cái này mà chuyển thể thành TV series khéo đứng #1 Netflix mấy tuần liên tiếp.

Còn về ý nghĩa rút ra mình không đọng lại gì mấy, như ngồi nghe đứa bạn kể về chuyện nó vừa hóng được. Nhưng là chuyện thú vị, có chìm có nổi, có lên có xuống nha... Do đó nếu thích sách mà không thách thức, đọc để giải trí, thì cuốn này sẽ rất phù hợp.

Còn bài chi tiết thì nằm ở đây: https://www.nguoidothi.net.vn/khi-tam...

[Han · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is what I really like in 2025.
mình mua quyển sách này mà không mong đợi nhiều, kết quả thì mình mê luôn:3
"hãy yêu lấy kẻ thù của mình" - bi kịch của một gia đình bắt đầu từ đó. Mình tự hỏi: "Đứng trước sự nghiệt ngã của cuộc đời, liệu con người có đủ tỉnh táo để đưa ra lựa chọn. Hay lại vội vàng quyết định, một phương án tồi tệ chỉ để thỏa mãn ham muốn nhất thời của bản thân?'. Kết quả, ta đã vô tình hủy hoại một con người ư?

[Steph Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and easy turn the page. Fast paced and love how there weren’t much distractions from the main plot. Although some parts might be a bit awkward to read due to cultural/time difference and I wonder if it was intentional to omit going deeper in the dad’s psyche towards the girl. Otherwise one of the first good read i had in the past year.

[Hanh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quá nhiều cảm xúc cho cuốn sách này. Mình muốn trách tất cả mọi người lớn đã khiến cho Dương Tử lâm vào cảnh bất hạnh. Một mặt mình cg rất thông cảm cho Hạ Chi và Khởi Tạo. Cuốn này k bt do cách dịch hay sao mà đọc rất gần gũi, giọng văn nhiều cảm xúc chứ k như văn học Nhật hiện đại, có đôi chút lạnh lùng, lí trí.

[Miriam Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

The translation was done by a Japanese speaker into English, so the text feels tedious and awkward at times. I also think there were quite a few side trails that didn't contribute to the overall plot. Not exactly a lighthearted read, but I am glad that I did finish.

[Ye Rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

꼭 한 번은 눈 덮인 홋카이도에 가보고 싶게 만든 책 :)
표지가 왜 이렇게 생겼는지 모르겠네, 호러물 아님

[Bom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Có lẽ đây là một trong những cuốn sách hay nhất năm 2025 mà mình đọc mất. Một câu chuyện diễn biến tâm lý quá hấp dẫn mà mình ko thể dừng lại được.

[Ăn bánh uống trà · Rating 5 out of 5]

Với văn phong đơn giản nhưng hiệu quả, tác giả cho ng đọc cảm giác như được chui vào trong đầu nhân vật. Câu chuyện hấp dẫn không phải ở tình tiết drama đài loan mà ở chính cách miêu tả tâm lí tinh tế.

[Sơn Lương · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mỗi ngày đọc một chút như để tuyết rơi dày lên dần dần. Bi kịch đều từ suy nghĩ con người mà ra

[Conquavacaykhe]

khá dễ đọc, nhưng cũng có nhiều thứ để nói. Nghĩ tí đã

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Một trong năm cuốn hay nhất năm 2025! 🥳

[Thao Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

đọc mà cảm giác cảm xúc bị bóp nghẹt

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many respects this novel is like Japanese fiction by such well known authors as Soseki, Taniguchi, or Kawabata: a slow moving, if not ponderous, plot with an intense focus on the inner lives of many of its characters punctuated by periodic melodramatic events. This allows for the gradual unfolding of their true natures with impressive depth and subtlety. For those who have seen Kabuki theater and/or modern day dramas produced for Japanese TV this will feel familiar, if not comfortable. For others this methodical at times overly dramatic style may tax their patience. This was especially true for me given that the book was almost 500 pages long. The authors noted above often tell their tales quite skillfully in less than 200 pages.

In the context of the plot Miura portrays elements of Japanese society that are almost as relevant today as they were in the post WWII era when the story takes place. Things like how much one’s character and/or choices in life are determined by one’s bloodline and the role that societal expectations plays in one’s behavior and relations with others, etc are powerfully depicted, and quietly critiqued for the most part, in the context of the plot.

I agree with those Goodreads reviewers who noted the inadequacy of the editing/ translation. On a relatively minor but still troubling level there are a smattering of typos and an occasional inappropriate use of prepositions. On a more significant level the prose, particularly the conversations between characters, is often awkward. As I speak conversational Japanese with modest fluency I could tell that the translators were trying too hard to faithfully convert the Japanese into English. In doing so the interactions between the characters in English seemed stilted.

Another aspect of poor editing was the inconsistency in explaining Japanese culture and/or customs. The translator explaIned some things in parentheses. But much was presented without any annotation. This would be confusing, if not frustrating, for readers unfamiliar with Japanese culture.

Finally, there is one other element of the novel which deserves mention: Christianity. In a brief autobiographical sketch at the end of the book it is noted that Miura was a member of that faith. I would not agree, however, with the sketch’s praise for the manner in which she portrayed this aspect of the story. For me it was alluded to but not really explored. Perhaps this was because this was her first published book. Or perhaps it was because of the fact that Christians only make up about 1% of the population in Japan. Ie, Miura might have been uncertain or reluctant as to whether/how to integrate that element more fully into the plot.

This last fact, the poor translation, and the sometimes melodramatic aspects to the plot left me less satisfied than I otherwise might have been with this novel. For that reason I would give it a 3.5 rating. Fortunately, some of her other work has been translated into English. I will give at least one of these a try in the coming months.

For those interested in Christianity in the context of Japanese society I would recommend the novels of Shusaku Endo. He was a believer who created some powerful portrayals of what it might be like for a follower of Christ to live in Japan.

[Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars.
So much thought was put into this book, which I really admire... however, I could not say that the reading experience was pleasurable. Perhaps I'm a coward for not wanting to read more about human's ugly nature when I already know about it (laughs).

I felt extremely uncomfortable countless times and there were some moments that I seriously contemplated whether to stop reading this book. Rather than impressing me, the grey areas in this story sadly makes me disgusted instead. The plot is heavy whilst most of the characters are certainly not people I would like to meet in real life. I simply could not accept many of the actions or decisions they make as I cannot and will not comprehend them. They stem so much rage in me it's astonishing!

I might give the second book a chance.

[Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the translation by 林静文 published in Taipei, which keeps the Japanese names. In 朱佩兰's translation 辻口启造　becomes 赖启造, and 夏枝 is called 夏芝, a quite unnecessary change in my opinion.
With my personal Western European background I was particularly impressed how mean 夏枝 was to her daughter. The characters and their relations impressed me as quite exotic and culturally different. Hokkaido and the city of Asahikawa in the forties to sixties are an interesting setting for this emotional drama about jealousy, revenge and family bonds.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I re-read the Chinese translation of Freezing Point 冰點. I liked this book better when I was younger, back in the days when I was more melodrama; I think I cried a lot the last time I read it.
"Forgiveness" is the word keep pooping into my mind as I read the book. But I guess if everyone practice forgiveness and repentance, there would be no story to tell.

[Boysie Freeman (not my real name, it's just my Internet name) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all about forgiveness in principle and how forgiveness work IRL.

I happened to buy one copy from a 2nd hand book fair and did not expect such a quality read for its value. It was a bit far more dramatic than it should for my taste, but the story is haunting and yes, I actually cried at the end.

[Imibroccoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is literally my favourite book in the world. I read it when I was 13 and since then nth had managed to replace its place in my heart.