告白
(Kokuhaku)
by 湊かなえ (Kanae Minato)
Author: 湊かなえ (Kanae Minato)
Japanese Level: High-Intermediate (N2)
Genre: Thriller, horror, mystery
Pages: 226
Bookwalker Japan: 告白
Japanese Summary
「愛美は死にました。しかし事故ではありません。このクラスの生徒に殺されたのです」我が子を校内で亡くした中学校の女性教師によるホームルームでの告白から、この物語は始まる。語り手が「級友」「犯人」「犯人の家族」と次々と変わり、次第に事件の全体像が浮き彫りにされていく。衝撃的なラストを巡り物議を醸した、デビュー作にして、第6回本屋大賞受賞のベストセラー。
English Summary (translation by Japanese Talk Online)
“Aimi died. But it wasn’t an accident. She was killed by someone in this class.” This story begins with the confession of a homeroom teacher whose daughter perished in the school pool. It then tells the story from the perspective of a classmate, the culprit, the culprit’s family, until you have the full picture of what happened. Then it comes around again to gut-wrenching ending. This best-selling debut novel won the 6th Japanese Booksellers Award.
Why You Should Read 告白 (Kokuhaku)
CW: child death, bullying, physical and mental distress to children, animal abuse
Once I started reading 告白, I couldn’t put it down.
It starts with a teacher talking to her students, telling them about her daughter who died in the school swimming pool. Then she reveals that someone in the class killed her. What she does next sets a series of events in motion. The story continues from different character’s perspectives, showing the consequences and fallout from this one confession.
The story is simple but well executed. I read the novel along with the audiobook, which was excellently narrated and made the experience all the more gripping.
This is a very harrowing story. I don’t recommend it if you find bullying, child death, and/or animal abuse distressing.
Why Japanese Learners should read 告白 (Kokuhaku)
I would recommend this to at least N2 level learners who are already comfortable with reading.
The book uses a lot of N2 level grammar and N2/N1 level vocabulary, making it great practice for high-intermediate grammar.
The sentences are long and a lot of information is implied, rather than explicitly stated, making it difficult to understand what’s happening if you’re not used to reading.
The first chapter is a chain of consciousness as the teacher tells her story. It’s a lot more difficult than the rest of the book, so if you’re struggling with the first chapter, keep going and the rest will get easier.
A Horrible, Gripping Confession
This thriller is absolutely gripping. A horrible depiction of the worst parts of humanity, especially in children.
I wouldn’t say this was horror (although some people categorize it as horror), but I think horror fans would enjoy this novel a lot.
You can try a sample here on Bookwalker!
Other Novels You Might Like
Fast-Paced Action Sequel to Bullet Train – 777 (Triple Seven)
Six Liars for One Job – 六人の嘘つきな大学生 (Roku-nin no Uso-tsukina Daigakusei)
Shoot the Enemy, Comrade – 同志少女よ、敵を撃て (Doushi Shojo Yo Teki wo Ute)