“Each chapter of this enrapturing novel is elegantly brief and charged with barely contained emotion.” –New York Times Book ReviewA gripping debut set in modern-day Tokyo and inspired by a true crime, for readers of Everything I Never Told You and The Perfect Nanny, What’s Left of Me Is Yours charts a young woman’s search for the truth about her mother’s life–and her murder.In Japan, a covert … her mother’s life–and her murder.
In Japan, a covert industry has grown up around the “wakaresaseya” (literally “breaker-upper”), a person hired by one spouse to seduce the other in order to gain the advantage in divorce proceedings. When Satō hires Kaitarō, a wakaresaseya agent, to have an affair with his wife, Rina, he assumes it will be an easy case. But Satō has never truly understood Rina or her desires and Kaitarō’s job is to do exactly that–until he does it too well. While Rina remains ignorant of the circumstances that brought them together, she and Kaitarō fall in a desperate, singular love, setting in motion a series of violent acts that will forever haunt her daughter’s life.
Told from alternating points of view and across the breathtaking landscapes of Japan, Stephanie Scott exquisitely renders the affair and its intricate repercussions. As Rina’s daughter, Sumiko, fills in the gaps of her mother’s story and her own memory, Scott probes the thorny psychological and moral grounds of the actions we take in the name of love, asking where we draw the line between passion and possession.
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5* Tragic Stars
This was a beautifully written story inspired by a true crime in Japan. The authors research into the legal system was thorough and the scenery and travels around Japan and its coasts wonderfully descriptive.
This was a story of deep love, secrets and betrayal. It’s about a daughter searching for answers that lead to her mother’s sudden murder when she was a young girl. The story is told in alternating POV, her mother Rina in the past and hers in the present.
The characters were fascinating, and one got to experience their unique culture and inner lives as the mystery unfolded on Rina’s tragic death.
What a fantastic debut novel, I cannot wait to read what Stephanie Scott brings us next.
Greed, Lies, Love, and Murder.
What’s Left of Me is Yours is an engrossing story of greed, lies, love, and murder. A must-read debut set in Japan in the 90s.
I went out of my comfort zone with this book. I don’t usually read crime and mystery, but this story was too intriguing to miss.
It seems that the legal system in Japan is, or at least was in the 90s, very different from what we are used to in America.
For instance, in a divorce, only one of the parents was given full custody of the children. The other parent depended on the goodwill of the former spouse to ever see his/her offspring again.
In this scenario, determining the cause of the divorce and the party directly responsible for it was essential. Being found guilty could mean the loss of one’s children and the need to financially compensate the other party.
Wherever there is a need, there is a service to provide it.
Sumikko discovers, by accident, that her mother Nina did not die in a car crash twenty years ago. She was murdered by her lover, a man hired by Sumiko’s father to seduce her and provide grounds for an advantageous divorce.
The story is heartbreaking and yet full of love and emotion.
I loved how the author portrayed the intricacies of the character’s relationships. How my feelings shifted as the story progressed.
This is a debut novel, but it does not read like one. It’s deep, well-written, soul-crushing, sometimes a bit overwhelming.
Loveless marriages, adultery, divorce, and the thin line between passionate love and uncontrolled possession are well examined and dissected in this book.
The role of women in Japanese society is examined, highlighting the impossible choices they have to make in their quest for love and acceptance.
I’ve listened to the audiobook, and the narration was superb. The calm tone of voice was perfect for the story.
The descriptions of forensics and police questionings were made in a way that brought me into the room. I felt the tension, the despair, it was impressively engaging.
I also enjoyed the little trips to the Japanese coast, its delicious flavors, flowers, and ancient temples.
It was a fascinating journey into Japan, and it’s legal system. I highly recommend the audio version for a more immersive experience.
Great read!
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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You only have to read a few pages of this novel to know that you are holding something special and unique in your hands. Stephanie Scott’s writing style is so lyrical, poetic and evocative! It flows as smoothly as a quietly bubbling creek, moving gently ever onward with a force of its own. Painting beautiful scenes with her words, she draws the reader into the world of her story.
This novel crosses so many genres that it’s hard to pin it to just one. Based on a true crime, it’s a mystery, a family drama, a story of a mother and her daughter, a romance, and also a well-researched look into the Japanese culture and legal system.
The story is told from two points of view in two time periods; Rina, a young married woman whose husband (unbeknownst to her) seeks to divorce her, and their daughter, Sumiko, a young adult in modern day Tokyo. Sumiko finds that what she has been told and believed about her mother’s death (that she died in a car accident) is a lie. When she searches for more information, the truths she uncovers has her questioning all she thought she knew about her family and her life. Filled with love, dreams, hopes, lies, manipulation and betrayal, this is a tragic tale where each character makes decisions that have catastrophic consequences.
The author writes with such skill and polish that I am amazed that this is her debut novel. I have put her on my authors to watch list, and plan to read everything she writes!
My thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.