J. M. Lee (1)

I think this would have been improved had I even a vague understanding of Korean and Japanese history - which I did not. I didn't realise that Korea used to be part of the Japanese empire, and that there was an independence movement, to use a Korean name was considered treasonable. Set in a prison camp in the latter half of WW2, this star6ts with the death of a violent guard. In trying to investigate, our narrator discovers more about the guard and a particular inmate who is a poet. The Guard is viewed in different ways by different people and their interactions with him colour the original conclusion that the narrator had come to. He also finds out more about the goings on of the medical staff attached to the prison, and what he finds out has profound implications for his peace of mind. It's a many layered work, and is, at times, rather complicated to follow. But it is worth the effort and repays the reader staying with the narrative.… (altro)

The Investigation is set in a prison camp in Fukuoka, Japan, near the end of World War II. It focuses on the life and death of Korean poet, Yun Dong-ju. During the time I was reading the book, I was unaware the he was an actual person and did, in fact, die while being held in a Japanese prison camp. When a vicious prison guard known as Sugiyama the Butcher is killed found hanging with a stake through his heart and his mouth sewed shut, Yuichi Watanabe, a young Japanese guard, is put in charge of the investigation. He is also given Sugiyama's censoring duties, which is where he discovers his first clue and discovers that no one is quite who they appear to be.

The Investigation starts as a crime procedural but quickly changes to something very different. The author describes the horrific realities of prison and the way the Japanese felt about systematically destroying the Koreans. Much of the book is filled with poetry and passages from famous classics like Les Miserables and even the Bible. Watanabe Yuichi falls in love with a nurse who works at the prison and she brings incredible insight into the story, revealing what she knows of both Sugiyama and Yun Dong-ju.

This novel is part thriller, part historical fiction, and part literary fiction. Because the book is translated and filled with many unfamiliar names and places, many readers may struggle with the concept. The poetry and prose are especially beautiful and once the reader gets into the cadence of the storytelling, they will enjoy this clever and unique novel.… (altro)

On the face of it, The Investigation is a murder mystery set in a Japanese prison during the Second World War. It's more than that, though. It's a reflection on literature's power to imprison, to set free, and to sustain. It's an examination of identity, how individuals define themselves in relation to others and to notions of nationality and culture. It's a history lesson of sorts about Japanese treatment of Koreans. It's a beautifully crafted work, full of poetry and grace. The use of literature to underpin the story is compelling. If I have any criticism it's that sometimes the writing becomes stilted, when the author stops talking about the personal and starts trying to make a point about the wider context of the characters' lives, and that the resolution to the murder mystery was slightly ridiculous.… (altro)