Fumiori Nakamura, author of my previously reviewed novel The Thief, is a master of dark themes and nihilism. His writing is deceptively simple, only later you can see how complex the structure is. Really great.
Last Winter, We Parted is a psychological/crime/noir told in separate 'articles' to complete the story. Sometimes it's not clear which character is narrating - as a reader, I just went with it and watched as the pieces interlocked right up to the ending, which featured twist after twist.
So satisfying!
A writer is commissioned to interview a murderer in prison - a famous photographer who, at two separate times, set two women on fire. His artistic vision is taking pictures of objects so intensely that the photo itself is imbued with more life than the object. He freely admits his guilt and begins to tell his story. His relationship with his sister Akari seems near incestuous, and the writer slowly gets involved with her and her pseudo-rape sex fantasies. The boyfriend of one of the women who died is also investigating, and the writer's editor has his own motives for producing the book. Oddly, the writer and the murderer both happen to be members of a secretive club called K2 - the head of the club is a Master at what he does, creating authentic life-sized rubber dolls (mannequins). Similar to realistic 'love dolls', these are 'memorial dolls' created by request for people who have lost loved ones. He does not model them after people who are still living.
Last Winter deals with the value of art, obsession, revenge, deviation and the desire to connect. Overwhelmed, the writer tries to back out of the project, but finds himself ensnared. It packs a lot into 216 intense pages.
I am trying not to reveal too much about this novel, it's completely unique, yet has the bones of classic noir genre. It deals with a double murder so it's theme is dark, it's characters lurid, it's situations freaky - but it's accessible and intriguing. As the story closes in to an end, there is a long explanation of the story from another angle, followed by multiple twists, right up to an unexpected punch that changes the whole nature of the novel I just read.
The writing and the structure were masterfully done! Knowing the outcome, I wanted to turn right around and read it again.
An excellent story highly recommended for those who like dark mysteries.
And what a great cover.
2014 / Hardcover / 216 pages
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