スイッチを押すとき [Suitchi o osu toki]

by Yusuke Yamada, 山田 悠介

「BOOK」データベースより
青少年自殺抑制プロジェクトセンターで、監視員として勤務する南洋平。ここでは、4人の少年少女に、自らの命を絶つ“赤いスイッチ”を持たせ、実験をしていた。極限状態で軟禁され、孤独に耐えられず次々と命を絶つはずが、この4人は“7年間もスイッチを押さない”という異例の子供だったのだ。彼らが生きたいと願うその理由を聞き、南たちは脱出を図るが、そこには非情な運命が待ちうけており―。

Genres: Japanese Literature

373 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2005

About the author

See 山田 悠介.

Reviews

[Nameless · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, I enjoyed this, but it's not perfect. The weakest part of the story is the experiment in which the main characters are unwilling participants. The premise behind the experiment simply didn't seem strong enough to justify it, but the story is not so much about the experiment itself than the characters involved. This story is about the interaction between the characters, as well as their emotions, hopes, and dreams. It is because of the experiment that the reader gets to see the emotional sides of these characters as they avoid their pursuers.

[Sakura K · Rating 4 out of 5]

いやー面白かった。まさに plot twist。主人公実験対象なのも、兄弟設定も全く気が付かなかった。面白い。独創的

[Kohei · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story, the amount of children suiciding would not stop. However, Japan is in a situation of low fertility, so the government came up with an cruel idea to stop this mess. The plan was to take children randomly and put them in a stressful situation. Each children will be receiving a switch. As soon as they push it, they die. So, by making them die in a stressful life (situation), the scientists will be able to clarify what to do to stop children suiciding. This novel is very interesting and you can see some emotions there as well. I would recommend this book to those who prefer grotesque stories.