Now, i want to review about Japanese book which had translated to Indonesian language and published in Indonesia in 2014 by Haru Publishers, but i have just bought it this year, last week.
Many book bloggers wrote the review about this book, and they commonly really like this book because of the implied mysteries. This book gives you mind-blowing, surprise, and the 'darkness'. So, i want to review this book with my own interpretation.
Title : Girls in the Dark ; Ankoku Joshi (Japanese)
Author : Akiyoshi Rikako
Publisher : Penerbit Haru (Indonesia), Futabasha (Japan)
Year : 2013 (Japan) ; 2014 (Indonesia)
Page(s) : 278
In Catholic's girl high school, a girl named Shiraishi Itsumi found dead after fell from the top of school balcony onto flowers pot below. Her body covered by blood, and her hand is holding a flower which she grabbed from the flowers pot while falling.
The flower is a lily.
Nobody knows what is the motive of this case. Was it a suicide? Or murder? And why Shiraishi Itsumi is holding a lily in her hand? That's still unknown.
All the students of the high school shocked by this accident, especially the Literature Club, the school's club that chaired by Shiraishi Itsumi.
Not only that. Rumors outspread that the murderer is ONE OF THE MEMBER OF LITERATURE CLUB..
One day after school, a week since the dead of their club's president. Sumikawa Sayuri, the vice president of the club makes a meeting with the members of the Literature Club: Takaoka Shiyo, Kominami Akane, Koga Sonoko, Diana Detcheva, and Nitani Mirei.
It's a tradition of the Literature Club to make a meeting after school before the summer holiday. In the meeting, all the members will bring their own essay and read it in the middle candlelight.
But that day is the special day, because the members must write the essay about Shiraishi Itsumi's dead case, the motive and the one murderer among the members..
"Itsumi and i need each others" -Sumikawa Sayuri
"Itsumi gave me a place to docked" -Nitani Mirei
"First, i really hate him.." "She is really kind.." -Takaoka Shiyo
"I love her" -Diana Detcheva
"She is my rival" -Koga Sonoko
"She said that she likes my books" -Takaoka Shiyo
That's the particular of their essay..
Who is the real murderer? They both said they like and adore Itsumi a lot.. Did one of them really push Itsumi from balcony?
And why.. Their statement of the murderer is so surprising?
The first time i know this novel is from a magazine, maybe a year ago. Then last week, i went to a bookstore in Jakarta and found this book again..I really interested in this book after read the review in magazine, and then i bought this book with no doubt instead the Japanese comic (which i can't find the comic that i want because haven't sold in there).
I love the mystery novel with an unexpected and surprising ending, and this is one of those books. At the beginning you read the story, you are expected that you have know who is the murderer.. But after you continue reading, well, maybe you will think , "how could be like this??" And you can't stop reading. Absolutely that was my impression.
This book is a bit expensive for me in this country, but i'm satisfied with the story, so i'm not regret for buying it.
Really recommended to who likes mysteries novel. :)
About the Author, Akiyoshi Rikako
Graduated from Waseda University , Literature Faculty. She got Master Degree in Wide Screen and Television from Loloya Marymount University in Los Angeles. In 2008, her short-story manuscript titled Yuki no Hana got third Yahoo! Japan Literature Award. Together with her manuscript which got awarded, in 2009 she debut with short-story collection titled Yuki no Hana.
Next posts i will review about my another favorite books..
Thanks for reading :)
UPDATE (July 11th 2019) : I made a new blog for book reviewing articles. So I'll post this review to that blog. You can click here
