迷宮

by Yoshinori Shimizu

In an unnamed asylum, a patient without any memory or identity is being treated by an unnamed specialist. The treatment is very experimental. The patient is asked to read a series of documents detailing a horrible crime. It all suggests that he was the one who committed a grotesque murder. But who is the specialist, then? And what is the treatment really for? The document turns out to include a novel-in-progress and suggests a great effort on the part of a writer to solve the mystery of the atrocity. Is the patient the murderer? Or the specialist the author? The game of identities becomes a philosophical puzzle. Is it possible to lose your identity in order to escape from guilt? Or can you accept the guilt of a stranger’s crime in order to establish an identity? A murder mystery becomes a big labyrinth of human enigma. What does it mean to be ‘I’?A veteran writer in Japan now shows you the very strange world of human motivations. A murder mystery with a big twist.

Genres: Mystery

Tankobon Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

An amnesiac is given an experimental treatment by a specialist, reading various accounts of a violent sex crime, in order to regain his memories. But is he the killer? And is the treatment for something more sinister? Who is the specialist?

I got this from Netgalley

I'm not really sure about this one. I got it from Netgalley because it sounded bizarre and it was. I'm not precisely sure how to describe it.

Labyrinth starts in a hospital with a patient being given an experimental treatment in order to restore his memories. The bulk of the book is told in newspaper articles, interviews with people who knew the victim and the killer, statements to police, and even fictionalized accounts of a gruesome murder/mutilation.

I'm not sure if the identity of the patient is supposed to be a mystery since pretty much everyone will guess who he is in the first ten pages. The identity of the specialist wasn't overly mysterious either.

Maybe something was lost in translation, it was translated from Japanese, but I'm not sure what this book was trying to be. It seemed to be about identity and the senselessness of some crimes but I felt more confused by it than anything else. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

[Nicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

A patient who may or may not be suffering from amnesia is being treated in a unnamed asylum by a unnamed specialist.As part of a experimental treatment the patient has to read documents and letters that are related to a horrific crime that he might have committed.The objective of the treatment is to hopefully restore his memory.Will the treatment work?,is he the killer and who is the specialist?.

The blurb for this book made it sound intreguing and mysterious but it's pretty easy to work out from quite early in the story who the patient and the specialist really are.

Maybe some of the impact of the story was lost during the translation from Japanese but I felt that the story wandered away from its path and got lost at times.The book was ok but not what I was expecting when I read the synopsis.

Many thanks to the publishers for a arc of this book via netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

i received this free copy for exchange of an honest review

Let me tell this story in a neutral voice, one detached from myself.

Let me tell this story in a neutral voice, one detached from myself. That is the very first sentence and it has already got its grip on me. “Labyrinth” is an aptly chosen title for this novel. It is exactly what you expect it to be; a labyrinth which is winding and twisting and won’t let you get out. You keep hitting on its walls which appear the same, but are they? Not if Yoshinori Shimizu has his signature on it.
A horrible crime has been committed. A young man has strangled a girl, cut her genitals and took them with him. The body was found by her boyfriend. Our protagonist doesn’t have a name. To be exact, he doesn’t have an identity. He is in a mental institute and he’s being monitored by psychiatrists. He never leaves his room. He also suffers from total amnesia. A Specialist is trying to bring back his memory by making him read about the crime again and again.
It’s only reasonable that the protagonist is also the killer. Yoshinori Shimizu doesn’t stay on the “who’s the killer” cliché. That’s not the kind of novel and not the point he is trying to make. He goes a few levels deeper than that. He doesn’t even care about “why he did it”, rather about “how did he feel about it”. “What was the killer’s feelings when he was strangling her?” “How did he feel about her genitals?” “Was it out of love?” Twisted enough? Yet every time you revisit Katsumi’s crime you feel differently about it. There’s a new clue, a new information that leads you to think the things differently than before. The author makes you see Katsumi and Manami [the victim] in their true colors. You start feeling for him. You start making excuses for him, understanding why he did what he did. You comprehend his state of mind. And that shocks you.
It turns out the Specialist is a fiction author named Nakazawa. Katsumi’s case has come to his attention and hooked him because he is working on a novel about a young man murdering a young woman. Nakazawa is the key to ”Labyrinth”. He is the one that will bring out all the questions on the case and on Katsumi’s intentions. He also poses a fundamental question on the readers; “What is identity made of”? It sounds like an easy question but if you go through Shimizu’s “Labyrinth” things change. Identity is the main theme in this novel. Both Nakazawa and Katsumi are trying to determine what it is. Does it get affected by others? Do our actions or intentions define it? Does one becomes responsible for the other’s choices? Yoshinori’s Shimizu writing is breathtaking. He manipulates your mind and leads you to paths that you have not explored yet. It is sharp and true. He describes the crime as it is. Over and over again. And somehow, every time it seems different to the reader. Why? I guess this question is answered for me by this simple fact; Yoshinori Shimizu has an enormous talent.
His raw style is unique. Yes, Manami was an everyday, simple girl like all the rest. At the beginning of the novel, you like her. Katsumi is a monster. What else could he be? The boyfriend’s loss is heart breaking. Everyone is what you expect them to be. Up until you start getting to know them better. Manami turns out is not so likeable. Katsumi has feelings. It is easy to believe that Manami, just because she’s the victim. She was innocent and Katsumi is a freak just because he is a killer. This novel makes you see that it is easy to judge by the superficial facts. The truth in each and every character is an entirely different thing. And that makes you think about all the people in real life. What do you really know about them? Are they who they say they are? What motivates them? Nakazawa gets obsessed with this questions and with him so do you.
There’s a philosophical aspect in this novel and that’s what the author intended. I will definitely re-read it. I believe that many readers will do so as well. There are things that you want to revisit. Questions -about your self- that you haven’t answered. Yoshinori Shimizu touches a chord in your soul and opens you a door to ways of thinking that are yet unexplored. And he won’t give you any answers. That is your job to do. Yoshinori Simizu is just the Devil’s Advocate.
___________________________________________________________
Πρώτη πρόταση κι ήδη σου έχει δημιουργήσει δέκα διαφορετικά ερωτηματικά στο κεφάλι. To «Labyrinth» είναι αυτό που λέει. Ένας λαβύρινθος που προσπαθείς να βρεις την έξοδο ξανά και ξανά αλλά βλέπεις μόνο τα ίδια και τα ίδια. Ακούγεται μονότονο; Ίσως και κάπως κουραστικό; Όχι αν έχεις να κάνεις με τη γραφή του Yoshinori Shimizu.

Ένα φρικτό έγκλημα έχει διαπραχθεί: ένας νεαρός στραγγάλισε μία κοπέλα, της έκοψε τα γεννητικά της όργανα και τα πήρε μαζί του. Το πτώμα το βρήκε ο σύντροφός της. Ο πρωταγωνιστής μας δεν έχει όνομα. Για την ακρίβεια, δεν έχει ταυτότητα. Είναι τρόφιμος ψυχιατρικής κλινικής. Έτσι θεωρούμε τουλάχιστον, καθώς ξεκινάνε οι συνεδρίες με έναν «ειδικό». Επίσης, ο πρωταγωνιστής μας έχει αμνησία. Ο Ειδικός θα προσπαθήσει να επαναφέρει τη μνήμη του, δίνοντάς του συνεχώς να διαβάζει γι’ αυτό το αποτρόπαιο έγκλημα.


Είναι εύκολο να υποθέσεις ότι ο τρόφιμος είναι ο δολοφόνος. Δεν είναι αυτό το ζήτημα του Yoshinori Shimizu. Μην περιμένεις να διαβάσεις το κλασικό «βρες το δολοφόνο» από αυτήν την ιστορία. Ο συγγραφέας πάει πολλά λέβελ πιο βαθιά. Δεν πάει καν στο «γιατί». Πάει στο «πώς ένιωσε». Ποια ήταν η σκέψη του Katsumi Iguchi όταν σκότωνε την Manami Tonai; Πώς λειτουργεί το μυαλό του; Καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της πλοκής διαβάζουμε ξανά και ξανά τη διαδικασία του φόνου. Κάθε φορά είναι συγκλονιστική. Γιατί κάθε φορά υπάρχει ένα καινούριο στοιχείο που έχει έρθει στην επιφάνεια και μας κάνει να βλέπεις κάτι ακόμα από τον Katsumi. Έχει καταφέρει ο συγγραφέας να σε κάνει να τον βλέπεις με διαφορετικό μάτι ξανά και ξανά. Αρχίζεις και τον κατανοείς, τον δικαιολογείς -αν και είναι λάθος η λέξη. Αρχίζεις, -για να το πω καλύτερα- να σκέφτεσαι όπως αυτός. Και αυτό σε ταράζει.

Ο Ειδικός αποκαλύπτεται ότι ειναι ένας συγγραφέας. Ο Nakazawa. Η υπόθεση του Katsumi του έχει κεντρίσει το ενδιαφέρον, μιας και δουλεύει ένα μυθιστόρημα με έναν αποτρόπαιο φόνο. Ο Nakazawa είναι το σημείο κλειδί. Είναι αυτός που θα προκαλέσει τον προβληματισμό που είναι διάχυτος σε όλο το μυθιστόρημα: από τι προσδιοριζόμαστε; Ακούγεται απλό. Όχι όμως όταν μπεις στους διαδρόμους του λαβύρινθου αυτού. Η ταυτότητα είναι το κύριο ζήτημα και για τον Nakazawa και για τον Katsumi. Ο ένας ψάχνει να τη βρει κι ο άλλος προσπαθεί να την προσδιορίσει. Κατά πόσο όμως μπορεί να επιρρεάζεται η ταυτότητα του ενός από τον άλλο; Κατά πόσο εξαρτάται η ταυτότητα του ενός από τον άλλο και πόσο από τις ίδιες μας τις επιλογές; Και κατά πόσο ο ένας έιναι υπεύθυνος για τον άλλο; Η γραφή του Shimizu είναι μακράν καθυλωτική. Μανιπιουλάρει το μυαλό σου και σε οδηγεί σε μονοπάτια που δεν περιμένεις. Κοφτή, άμεση, χωρίς εκπτώσεις. Το έγκλημα είναι αυτό που είναι. Ναι, θα το διαβάσεις πολλές φορές, ξανά και ξανά. Γιατί όμως σε κάνει κάθε φορά να το δεις με διαφορετικό μάτι; Αυτό, για μένα, είναι μαεστρία στη γραφή.

Η ωμότητά του είναι μοναδική. Ναι, το θύμα ήταν ένα ήσυχο κορίτσι με τη δουλειά του και την καθημερινότητά της. Στην αρχή σού είναι συμπαθής. Ο Katsumi είναι τέρας. Η απώλεια του συντρόφου της, σου πονάει την ψυχή. Εϊναι αυτό που περιμένεις να είναι και νομίζεις πως αν βρεις το γιατί, όλα θα μπουν στη θέση τους. Μέχρι που αρχίζεις και τους γνωρίζεις όλους από αυτή τη διαδικασία καλύτερα. Η Manami δεν είναι και τόσο συμπαθής τελικά, ο Katsumi δεν είναι και τόσο απροσάρμοστος. Θες να πιστέψεις ότι η Manami είναι «καλή» και «αθώα» γιατί είναι το θύμα. Θες να πιστέψεις ότι ο Katsumi είναι «τέρας» και «ψυχασθενής» εξαιτίας του εγκλήματος. Ο συγγραφέας όμως έρχεται και σου κουνάει το δάχτυλο, σε κάνει να δεις αλήθειες που ίσως, να μην είναι και τόσο καλοδεχούμενες. Το τι μπορεί να κρύβει αυτή η αλήθεια μέσα στον διπλανό σου ή και σε σένα τον ίδιο, είναι τρομακτική. Πόσο σταματάς για να δεις ποιος πραγματικά είναι; Πώς σκέφτεται; Τι τον επιρρεάζει και τι όχι. Τι τον έχει κάνει έτσι; Με την ίδια «μανία» που ο Nakazawa προσπαθεί να μάθει το μυαλό του Katsumi, έτσι, αναπόφευκτα μαθαίνεις και τους υπόλοιπους που μπλε΄κονται σε αυτή την ιστορία. Και ίσως, τελικά, να είναι πολλά αυτά που δεν έχεις δει.

Η φιλοσοφική σκέψη του μυθιστορήματος είναι αυτή που το κινεί. Θα θελήσεις να το ξαναδιαβάσεις. Είσαι σίγουρος ότι κάτι μπορεί να έχασες. Ακόμα και αν έχεις -όπως είπαμε- διαβάσει το έγκλημα πολλαπλές φορές. Ο Shimizu αγγίζει μια χορδή μέσα σου που ανοίγει διάπλατα την πόρτα σε πολλά ερωτηματικά. Και το καλύτερο είναι ότι δεν σου δίνει απαντήσεις. Αυτό είναι η δική σου δουλειά. Ο Shimizu κάνει απλώς τον δικηγόρο του Διαβόλου.

[Bunny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

The summary for this book had me so intrigued, and rather excited. I love a good psychological thriller. A man with amnesia, locked in a room and receiving treatment by means of reading documentation on a seriously gruesome crime. Why is he reading this information? Who is the man treating him? Is he the killer? Is he the author of the novel that's clearly coming together regarding this horrible crime?

I mean, what's not to be interested in?

As it turns out, a lot.

I feel like I've just read one small part of a much bigger story. That I've read a book from the wrong end, or the wrong angle. Bits and pieces of a larger book, cut and pasted together to form this incomplete version.

It starts out extremely interesting, feeling very much like a true crime novel. Since I love true crime, I treated it as such. The details of the crime itself, the introduction of this author who'd developed such an interest in it and decided to seek out more information than what could be found in tabloids.

But the further in you get, the less makes sense. And more so even than that, the less is interesting. It's revisiting the exact same facts. Which, incidentally, is a part of the plot. The author of the novel doesn't have enough information, and therefore has to keep revisiting the same facts, because he's trying so desperately to understand the mind of the killer in question.

Again, though. Wrong end of the story.

There's no climax. There's no conclusion. The "author's note" by Matthew Cheney tries to tell you what conclusion you were supposed to garner from the final chapter, but even that is just more talking, with little action.

I want to believe that something is lost in translation, literally. But I don't think reading this in the original Japanese (if I were able to) would solve anything.

This is deeply unsatisfying, and I'm very disappointed.

I will say, though, that after reading this, I have never been so happy to be lactose intolerant in my life.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

ARC for review.

So. The book. There are two characters. A narrator and a "treatment specialist". Each day the narrator visits the treatment specialist get a different point of view, through newspaper stories, police reports, fiction narratives, memoirs and interviews, of the murder of a young woman named Manami Tonai at the hands of her stalker Katsumi Iguchi. OK. Fine. A crime book told in various points of view. Maybe it's another Rashomon? Great!

But what is the book about? The reader doesn't know the identity of either the narrator or the "treatment specialist" until the end, although he or she will guess. Iguchi is now, apparently, incarcerated and insane. I read and finished the book and simply couldn't enjoy it, though I felt I understood it.....sometimes you can "get" things, but still not understand why the author thought they were important to say, you know? Anyway, my volume included an afterword, so I read that too, hoping that I might appreciate it more after reading some critical analysis. Nope. The author of the afterword describes the same philosophical tome that I read regarding the question of "who IS anyone?" but reading the afterword didn't add to my enjoyment or lack thereof or, really, even to the fundamental question that its author posits that the book is meant to explore.

Overall I found the text repetitive, nonsensical and not a story that most readers would likely care about. It's decently written, which is its one saving grace, but the story that aspires to be a fascinating labyrinth is really just a mess.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Japanese books are often very strange and I’ve learnt not to worry too much if I don’t really understand what they’re getting at. This short book is no exception. I feel pretty sure it’s asking lots of questions about guilt and responsibility, identity and memory and so on, but I’m also pretty sure we’re not necessarily supposed to find any answers. Of if we are, then I have certainly failed to do so. Nevertheless, I did find it bizarrely compelling, and although the translation seemed very weak at times (depravation not depravity?) I found myself quite caught up on the mystery. Because it’s very much a mystery story. An unnamed man is in an asylum. He’s lost his memory and doesn’t know who he is. He’s made to undergo some experimental treatment which involves reading documents pertaining to a particularly gruesome murder. So the question is – why is he reading all this stuff? Is the intimation that he is himself the murderer? Well, I’m sure I don’t know. Perhaps we’re not even expected to know. Does it matter? Probably not. It’s still an intriguing little tale and I enjoyed it.

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I see that many of the reviewers on here did not think too highly of this novel. I loved it. Camus comes to Japan in this examination of the grotesque by Shimizu. An unnamed amnesic is given an "experimental treatment" by an unnamed doctor figure. The story is told through letters, interviews and other types of disclosure. I love Japanese fiction, Murakami etc., because in much of what I've come across there is a certain level of appreciation for the surreal and disturbed aspects of our nature. This book works through ideas of the self, the other, crime, reality and fiction; all while keeping me pegged to my seat for several hours. Who is this man? Who is the man administering the "experimental treatment?" How are they functioning in relation to each other? What end are they trying to achieve? Thoroughly enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it to a few of my more adventurous friends!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

[brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting premise that played with ideas about identity, motive, and crime. A man who does not know his identity is being given an experimental treatment by a specialist, but not everything is at it seems. This was alright, except for the fact that there was an ENORMOUS amount of victim-blaming in it, so much so that it really clouded my judgment of the story.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perplexing tale that kept me riveted throughout. Any synopses would fail to completely describe this philosophical novel starting with an anonymous narrator with amnesia. The narrator (and we) are presented with a series of letters, news articles, interviews and police files which all relate in some way to a recent grisly murder of a woman killed by her stalker. I really enjoyed this!

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was browsing through my review copies, reading the first chapter of each one and when I started this one I just couldn’t put it down.
It's a gripping book that makes your think and wonder. I guess the aim of this book was to make the reader think about humanity, psychology and other themes which I love but what bothered me a lot was that the author didn't give me his answers. What was his aim really ? Where did he want to go with this story ?
I guess it's quite stereotypically Japanese to end a book weirdly.

[Zach · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not as smart as it wants to think it is.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il labirinto di cui parla il titolo è ovviamente la mente umana, nella fattispecie la mente di un giovane che ha ucciso e mutilato una giovane donna, ma anche la mente dello scrittore che, attraverso una specie di indagine giornalistica, vuole capire le vere motivazioni che stanno alla base di questo omicidio, al di là del "troppo amore" e del "controllo". In un gioco di specchi, attraverso la lettura di documenti di diverse proveniente, confessioni e relazioni, il lettore si fa strada assieme ai due ignoti personaggi che fanno da voce narrante in questi labirinti... e finisce inesorabilmente per perdersi.
Infatti, nonostante i singoli pezzi siano interessanti e ben scritti, il libro è poco comprensibile e privo di una forte ragion d'essere.

The labyrinth referred to in the title is of course the human mind, in this case the mind of a young man who killed and mutilated a young woman, but also the mind of the writer who through a sort of journalistic investigation wants to understand the real reasons that form the basis of this murder, beyond "too much love" and "control". In a game of mirrors, through the reading of different documents, confessions and relationships, the reader goes along with the two unknown characters who do the narration in these labyrinths ... and ends inexorably to lose themselves. In fact, despite the fact that the individual pieces are interesting and well-written, the book is unclear and devoid of a strong reason for being.
I thank Shueisha and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended to readers who love twisted psychopathic/sociopathic characters such Hannibal & storylines involving gory crimes. Weird psychological mystery - not sure if it's because it's translated from Japanese, or if it's the author's style. I received an advance ecopy of this book via Net Galley in return for an honest review.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this. I liked the remoteness and dissociative nature of the narrative.