Suspicion

 Suspicion is itself a challenge to the genre of crime fiction we have all become so accustomed to in the present age. From the outset the reader is put at odds with the moral and legal definition of innocence, as well as the significance media has on society. 

Told within the back drop of postwar Japan,  the story revolves around the prosecution of a morally dubious woman, turned national pariah, for the murder of her recently wedded husband; on whom she had taken out multiple life insurance policies. Passed from legal council to council,  she maintains to almost a fanatical nature her innocence. 

In parallel, the dogged local reporter who first propelled this case into the national Japan conscious, is himself embroiled in a fanatical quest to ensure the woman's conviction and eventual execution, by any means possible. 

The conflict between these two is masterfully told through the inner workings of the Japanese legal profession. The overall narrative is enriched through the preciseness, depth and realism of the legal arguments and discussions throughout. 

In addition to this immersive experience, is a deeply rooted psychological critique driving this story onwards. This story draws and comments upon the unique trait which binds mankind together - fear. Matsumoto firstly explores fear as a device with which the media uses to control the emotions and opinions of others.  We as the reader are constantly forced to question the legitimacy of the press in direct comparison to the unfolding events as the story progresses.

 Fear is also explored in the context of retribution against various characters. The strongest exploration of this exact representation is the continuing fear presented by the reporter and the woman on trial. At times, this creates an interesting tension and conflict between the overall aims of these two characters. 

From its outset, the reader begins to question everyone and everything in both the foreground and background. We are taught as the story progresses, to become suspicious, to a fanatical degree. Thus, we are drawn along with the main characters, deeper into this psychological thriller, as participants rather than observers. 

The brilliance of this story is derived from two points. The first is its timeless nature; after nearly 45 years from its initial release, Suspicion remains as gripping and suspenseful  now, as it did back then. The second is Matsumoto's incredible ability to express so much in so few words.  Matsumoto astoundingly creates a realistic, detailed, and suspenseful world intertwined with a masterful psychological narrative, within the confines of 97 meagre pages.

If anything, this latest translation of Matsumoto's work is a real gift to the English language itself. I can only commend the translator for their hard work in preserving the essence and being of this story into English.


Suspicion

by Seicho Matsumoto

ISBN: 9780241756409

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isabelle Baafi - Chaotic Good

Chaotic Good gives an interesting offering into the death and rebirth cycle attached to the pains and aftermath of divorce.  Firstly, the collection's title ('Chaotic Good') is an interesting manifesto in itself. Reading from cover to cover, the reader is often set at odds with what truely Chaotic Good means to the poet and to ourselves. We only come across the answer after deep reflection, through the realisation that the entire healing process is indeed a chaos process. This point is illustrated excellently through the collection's non-linear structure.  The entire collection is split into 5 distinct chapters: Sepearation, Childhood, Adolescence, Marriage and  Rebirth. Starting with initial trauma and upheaval of divorce. The collection returns the poet back to their past, allowing them to recontextualize their past experiences in light of present circumstances. It is from this recontextualization of the past, that the poet and indeed the reader are allowed then to de...
Read more

Modern Physics: Why the World Works

Modern Physics is a novel revitilsation of the standard 1st year education in undergraduate physics. The text is very comprehensive; it covers a broad spectrum of topics from quantum mechanics to condensed matter physics and cosmology.  What makes this book special is its approach in explaining physics phenomena. This text gives intuitive, relatable and detailed explanations of the how's and why's.  This is refreshing, as it build gently the readers physical understanding of how the world should work. This is remarkably important for building student's confidence when solving problems, but also their mathematical toolkit to do so. This is further aided by the numerous worked examples, conceptual questions and exercises throughout. There is no doubt in my mind that Modern Physics will soon become the standard reference for first year teaching. Modern Physics by Gary N. Felder and  Kenny M. Felder ISBN:  9781108913270
Read more