k1y0 ~suki yo~

[Novel] Shukumei

November 5, 2011 at 3:04 pm | Posted in Higashino Keigo, Novels | Leave a comment

Is it really destiny that ties them together? Two boys with different background, but were rivals in every aspect when they were young, with the same dreams and ambitions, falling in love with the same woman. Eventually, they embarked on different paths in life, but is it really the thread of fate that brought them together again in a murder case, with one as the police and the other as the suspect?

Shukumei is another Higashino Keigo work that has been adapted into a drama. Even though it initially seemed that the murder case is the focus of the book, the way Higashino Keigo gradually unwrapped the relationship between the two guys through mini flashbacks makes their mysterious ties even more intriguing. I was even starting to suspect that Uryu Akihiko might be interfering with Wagura Yusaku’s life on purpose. However, that’s misleading because we see the incidents from the latter’s point of view. If it was Akihiko telling the story, I might feel that Yusaku is the mastermind instead. I probably read too much Satsujin no Mon…

Shukumei is really well-written. The transitions between present and past is smooth, and each time an incident from the characters’ past is unveiled, one can’t help but question if they’re all just pieces in the big game of Destiny. The ending is not unexpected, but wraps all the whole story very nicely. I won’t mind re-reading it again.