Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* A mother commits suicide. A bully keeps watch over a victim. A teacher withdraws from her students. An obsessed man weaves a tale of monsters. By shifting time and perspective, Asano is able to fit all of these puzzle pieces together to create a haunting story of trauma, guilt, and, finally, closure. At the heart of the tale is Arie, who tells one too many stories about the monster that lives in the tunnel behind the school. In an attempt to shut her up, her classmates push her into a well. The consequences of that action spiral outward in ways the children never imagined, affecting friends, family, teachers, and neighbors in ways the children never imagined, horrifically affecting friends, family, teachers, and neighbors, both physically and psychologically. Anger, hopelessness, and betrayal run rampant echoed by the eerie, ominous clouds of butterflies swarming the town and fuel heartless violence. Though there are many moving pieces, the fluid time line; tight, stark, and realistic artwork; and clues carefully revealed through deliberately worded dialogue and purposeful character design work in perfect harmony to prevent ambiguity or confusion. Critically acclaimed Asano deftly twists this disturbingly compelling story, managing to shock the reader at every turn. Its intricacies are even more rewarding on the second read.--Volin, Eva Copyright 2014 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Asano, best known for the acclaimed manga Solanin, delivers a dark and twisted psychological horror story that links together a series of characters and tragic events in one timeline that have devastating ramifications for a second timeline. Equal parts beautiful and highly disturbing, this story of love and loss, obsession and vengeance, is sometimes too opaque to be easily understood, but it has the kind of depth and layers that encourage multiple readings. Weaving together a series of characters tangentially related to one another on the surface but intimately connected when one probes deeper, the story is full of murderous revenge, hidden agendas, and majestic visuals that contrast well with the darkness of the story. The book follows the paths of a mysterious girl, a physically and emotionally scarred young teacher, an obsessed bully, a suicidal student, and others, as their past crimes come full circle to haunt them 10 years in the future, with the world enacting its own kind of poetic but brutal justice. The work is impressive and will leave readers puzzling about it, with many likely returning to dig deeper and discover further meanings. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
