It is a clever tale of a search for a woman on the run; in fact, it is a search for two women, one running and one not. The story features Police Detective Shunsuka Honma. It is basically a police procedural, although Honma is on leave from the Department.
Under the headline, "Are We More Than a Name? A Japanese thriller probes the identity enigma," AsiaWeeek.com states, "One of the most compelling aspects of detective fiction is the notion that we leave behind a trail of clues to our past...however hard we may try to erase this trail..." That is the crux of this story. The fact that in the past an individual in Japan was defined by his or her place in the family, and that now citizens have a residence certificate as proof of identity. That is coupled with the legal requirement that children are responsible for their parents' debts. One common way out is personal bankruptcy; this character chose to escape bytaking on another's identity.
A bookstore review cites "...an excellent tour of contemporary Japan and the consumer culture that preys upon the individuals and society that created it." Another, "...a tight and ingenious murder mystery that could only have been set in a society like Japan's, where escaping an unhappy past may well be the ultimate crime."
Discussion:
Discussion included points commonly raised in translations -- stylistic language and pace, and difficulty of name pronunciation, In this case, copious background information about credit card debt bogged down the narrative. Yet the NYT review stated, "The spare style and measured pace of...translation suit Honma's painstaking investigative methods and the somber tone of Ms. Miyabe's searching theme--the value of the individual in a consumer-mad economy that punishes debt with ruin and disgrace, even death."
The Group acknowledged that the author had something to say about an important contemporary issue in Japan and chose a "novel", readable way of expounding on it. The question of whether we too are defined only by our ID's--SS#, e-mail address, photo license, credit ratings--was also noted. It may not be a crime, but escaping one's past would not be easy here either. The detective was very sensitive to human behavior--he could find a trail. Both the Buffs and a review asked what happened to the fiance once the plot was revealed? It was agreed that the book furnished significant cultural insights.
One of the most interesting statements the author makes about the major woman character is, "that she was for herself, and no one else. A woman who ten years ago scarcely existed in Japan." Given the emerging status of women in Japan, the same might be said about a prize-winning female mystery writer.