"Happiness is as fragile and fleeting as a bubble of soap." -Confessions by Kanae Minato

I would rate Confessions 7 out of 10 jellybeans. Definitely not for everybody, this book is dark and mysterious, and I was left in a state of confusion, shock, and awe throughout the book, not necessarily in that order. Approach with caution.

Yuko Moriguchi loves her daughter Manami with all her heart, and since Manami’s father is unable to help the family, Moriguchi is forced to live the life of a devoted single mother working as a middle school teacher. That is, until a terrible accident ruins her life. Moriguchi decides to resign, but not before leaving her students with one final speech with a terrible message. The seventh grade class contained murderers. Based in modern day Japan, this story follows the lives of a few students that are majorly affected by the situation and their former homeroom teacher as the truth behind the “accident” is slowly revealed. But are the students truly ready to learn the facts, or will only more tragedy follow? Lies are coated in every word. Only the confessions of the murderers and the victims can honestly tell the tale. Or are they false reports, too?

Right from the start, this book definitely sends shivers up my spine. The characters are unreliable, yet seemingly truthful, as if they are talking to themselves. What I really love about this book is the switching perspectives. Sure, multiple points of view can be found in many books, but in Confessions, they are mostly just multiple accounts of the same story as the author tries to uncover the truth. It can be hard to figure out who is talking simply because the characters don’t introduce themselves at the beginning of each chapter, but the perspectives are very different and sound as though they are written by different people. It really gives the book a lot of life.

Honestly? This book is dark. There is a lot of spooky topics and ideas that come to life in the pages. The stress of homework, desire to be important, recognition, all innocent topics until they add this dark twist on them. Definitely not for the faint of heart, this book is for people who can handle a gloomy, horrific story plus a lot of confusing Japanese names that make determining a person’s gender very difficult.

Formula: Murder + Teachers + Up-bringing + Self-Importance = Fluffy Bunny Purse?

#mystery #realistic #katie #death