Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight by Riku Onda

The premise of the book states that this is a story about two people, spending the night together (awake) in an empty apartment before they say goodbye, and both of them think that the other person has murdered somebody…

I think it’s interesting how sometimes a truthful premise can throw you off, as I don’t think that that necessarily gives an accurate view of what this book is about! Yes, technically, that is true, but I think this book is actually much more about family relationships, secrets, and dynamics.

The central murder or death is not one that you really care about and it’s not really that much of a mystery in my mind…. This book was much more psychological and psychosexual: it looks at sibling and familial relationships, honing in on attraction and secrecy. Are you lying to yourself?

What I really liked was the trying to eke out truths from confused dreams and memories. At the same time, there were parts of the book where the twists and turns felt a little implausible.

Regardless, I think you can still admire the overarching psychology.

Read this is you’re in the mood for a psychological and straightforwardly plotted Japanese thriller that revolves around a family full of secrets.