CONFESSIONS

Author:  Kanae Minato

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2014

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  22

From NetGalley:

Her pupils murdered her daughter.  Now she will have her revenge.  After calling off her engagement in the wake of a tragic revelation, Yuko Moriguchi had nothing to live for except her only child, four-year-old child, Manami.  Now, following an accident on the grounds of the middle school where she teaches, Yuko has given up and tendered her resignation.  But first she has one last lecture to deliver.  She tells a story that upends everything her students ever thought they knew about two of their peers and sets in motion a diabolical plot for revenge.  Narrated in alternating voices, with twists you'll never see coming, Confessions probes the limits of punishment, despair, and tragic love, culminating in a harrowing confrontation between teacher and student that will place the occupants of an entire school in danger.  You'll never look at a classroom the same way again.

This was an incredibly difficult book for me to rate.    Right from the start I had an awkward time following along.  I wasn't sure who was talking and who they were talking about.  Once I figured that out, then there was a new voice to figure out.  (Foreign names always cause me trouble, though.)  I experienced lots of angst, but my curiosity was peaked.

I found the storyline very convoluted and depressing.  However, the twists made it interesting and drew me in further.  I wasn't surprised by the twists, but they were twists nonetheless.  This is definitely not a book for everybody.  Revenge is the key word, and it's not pretty.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.