3.5
A Quiet Place
ByPublisher Description
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STARRED AND BOXED REVIEW:
Why would a woman with a serious heart condition risk her health by climbing a steep hill in an area where she knew no one? That conundrum obsesses Japanese bureaucrat Tsuneo Asai, the hero of this stellar psychological thriller from Matsumoto (Inspector Imanishi Investigates). Asai, a section chief in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is on a business trip with his boss when word reaches him that his wife, Eiko, who had a heart condition, has died suddenly in Tokyo. Despite the emotional distance in their relationship, the tragedy is a shock to Asai, though not enough to make him put aside his professional obligations before he arranges travel home. Asai questions the official version of her death—that she suffered a heart attack in the street, and collapsed inside a nearby cosmetics store—and figures out that her fatal collapse was triggered by Eiko overexerting herself elsewhere. His pursuit of the truth becomes all-consuming, building to a surprising and immensely satisfying resolution that flows naturally from the book’s complex characterizations. Readers will agree that Matsumoto (1909–1992) deserves his reputation as Japan’s Georges Simenon.
Why would a woman with a serious heart condition risk her health by climbing a steep hill in an area where she knew no one? That conundrum obsesses Japanese bureaucrat Tsuneo Asai, the hero of this stellar psychological thriller from Matsumoto (Inspector Imanishi Investigates). Asai, a section chief in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, is on a business trip with his boss when word reaches him that his wife, Eiko, who had a heart condition, has died suddenly in Tokyo. Despite the emotional distance in their relationship, the tragedy is a shock to Asai, though not enough to make him put aside his professional obligations before he arranges travel home. Asai questions the official version of her death—that she suffered a heart attack in the street, and collapsed inside a nearby cosmetics store—and figures out that her fatal collapse was triggered by Eiko overexerting herself elsewhere. His pursuit of the truth becomes all-consuming, building to a surprising and immensely satisfying resolution that flows naturally from the book’s complex characterizations. Readers will agree that Matsumoto (1909–1992) deserves his reputation as Japan’s Georges Simenon.
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3.5
Sean Brock
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Tracey
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“Well, apparently bureaucrats don’t make good killers.”
xoxokey
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“Berawal dari Eiko Asai yang meninggal saat sang suami, Tsuneo Asai, berada di luar kota untuk perjalanan dinas.
Buku ini lebih fokus pada Awal hingga pertengahan cerita sangat menarik; banyak misteri dibalik kematian Eiko yang perlahan mulai terungkap karena kegigihan Tsuneo Asai dalam mencari kebenaran. Meski akhir cerita tidak sesuai dengan apa yang saya harapkan, saya cukup enjoy menikmati ceritanya hingga akhir.
Hampir 50 tahun yang lalu buku ini ditulis oleh Seicho Matsumoto, banyaknya perbedaan dengan kehidupan di zaman sekarang justru membuat buku ini semakin menarik bagi saya. Bayangkan saja, butuh waktu 4 jam bagi keluarga menghubungi Tsuneo Asai (kebayang ya zaman dulu harus cari no telp secara manual di yellow book).”About Seicho Matsumoto
Seicho Matsumoto: Seicho Matsumoto (1909–1992) did not see his first book published until he was in his forties. He was a prolific author, producing in four decades more than 450 works. He is considered Japan's most accomplished writer of mystery and detective fiction.
Matsumoto’s first full-length detective fiction, Ten to sen ('Points and Lines'), after running as a newspaper serial from 1957 to 1958, was a big hit as a book in 1958, selling over a million and a quarter copies. In 1961, Suna do utsuwa ('Vessel of Sand', 1961, published in English as Inspector Imanishi Investigates, 1989) sold four and a half million copies and became a movie box-office hit. 'A Quiet Place' was originally published in Japan in 1971 as Kikanakatta basho. This is the first time it has been translated into English. It was written about half way through Matsumoto’s writing life.
Louise Heal Kawai: Louise Heal Kawai comes from Manchester. She has spent the past twenty years in Nagoya, Japan, as a translator and teacher. Her published translations include Daido Tamaki’s Milk, Tendo Shoko’s best-selling autobiography Yakuza Moon; and most recently Building Waves, a novel by Tomioka Taeko.
Matsumoto’s first full-length detective fiction, Ten to sen ('Points and Lines'), after running as a newspaper serial from 1957 to 1958, was a big hit as a book in 1958, selling over a million and a quarter copies. In 1961, Suna do utsuwa ('Vessel of Sand', 1961, published in English as Inspector Imanishi Investigates, 1989) sold four and a half million copies and became a movie box-office hit. 'A Quiet Place' was originally published in Japan in 1971 as Kikanakatta basho. This is the first time it has been translated into English. It was written about half way through Matsumoto’s writing life.
Louise Heal Kawai: Louise Heal Kawai comes from Manchester. She has spent the past twenty years in Nagoya, Japan, as a translator and teacher. Her published translations include Daido Tamaki’s Milk, Tendo Shoko’s best-selling autobiography Yakuza Moon; and most recently Building Waves, a novel by Tomioka Taeko.
Other books by Seicho Matsumoto
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