The Confessions By Kanae Minato

Lately I have been reading novels by Japanese authors. Quite a number of the novels have been dark and twisted tales but I award the crown for the darkest revenge novel to The Confessions by Kanae Minato.

Confessions is a literary phenomenon in Japan. Published in 2008 to critical acclaim, it became a runaway hit and won a slew of awards. It has sold over 3 million copies in Japan. The movie adaptation also won many awards, and was selected as Japan’s entry for best foreign language film for the 2010 Oscars.

Confessions by Kanae Minato

The story unfolds over 6 chapters through a variety of conceits: a resignation speech, a letter, a diary, a nightmare, a blog, and a phone call.

The protagonist is Yuko Moriguchi, a middle-school science teacher and single mother to a 4-year-old daughter Manami. Her engagement to Manami’s father came to an end when he discovered that he is HIV-positive, prompting him to break off the engagement. As a single mum, Yuko’s world revolves around Manami.

When Manami was found drowned in an apparent accident at the school swimming pool, Yuko’s world was plunged into grief. When Yuko soon discovers two of her 13-year-old pupils were involved in her daughter Manami’s death, she decides to get even.

Shuya Watanabe and Naoki Shitamura are the murderers of Manami. Shuya is the evil genius of the duo, a young sociopath driven by a blinding longing to please his mother and a misguided longing for attention stemming from an unhappy childhood. Naoki is the follower, a boy plagued by mediocrity and impotent anger.

Yuko, believing the authorities will be too lenient toward the underaged culprits, sets out on her remorseless revenge, ostensibly starting by injecting HIV-positive blood from Manami’s father into the killers’ milk, and then escalating into psychological torture. After the first step of Yuko’s revenge, Naoki becomes a shut-in and Shuya is bullied by his classmates.

With lots of twists, Confessions is a harrowing tale of revenge, punishment, despair, family discord, and tragic love, culminating in a confrontation between Yuko and Shuya that endangers the entire school.

The main characters are not likeable and Minato succeeds in making their lack of remorse both chilling and believable.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, finishing it within a day. I will definitely be looking out for the other books by Kanae Minato.