"The Devotion of Suspect X" is a detective novel written by Japanese novelist Higashino Keigo.
Ishigami, the main character in the novel is a math genius teaching in high school. Ishigami is a very rational person, who always follows his own logic as doing every thing, and never being influenced by any emotion. Nevertheless, one day, Ishigami unexpectedly has a crush on his new neighbor, Yasuko for the first sight, and Ishigami's deep love to Yasuko even makes him help Yasuko to conceal her crime of killing her ex-husband who keeps exerting domestic violence to her and her daughter.
Genius as Ishigami, he absolutely knows that his behavior of helping Yasuko conceal the crime and destroy the body of her ex-husband's will lead himself to crime, but why such a rational person like he still be affected by his emotion and cannot help to do so? In the novel, the story explains that it is because before knowing Yasuko, Ishigami thought that he himself was just like a robot that living a regular and boring life everyday, the only thing he had in his life was math and number. One day, Ishigami cannot bare his crazy life anymore and decide to commit suicide. On the moment that he wanted to hang himself, it is Yasuko that knocked his door for greeting, and saved his life.
"Sometimes, a person can rescue another person's life by only being alive." I think that this sentence is the main concept that the author wants to convey in this novel. Like Ishigami, he thought that it is Yasuko that saved his life, so all he did for her is not to help but to return, because Yasuko is his motivation to keep living in the world. Perhaps this kind of affection is not only between love, but also between closed friends and family. For the person we take to heart, the only thing we care about is he or her can live safety and happiness, and there's nothing else.
In this novel, readers can not only be attracted by the complicated and suspense plots, but also be touching by the pure love that runs through the whole story. Besides, there're many things to rethink after reading "The Devotion of Suspect X".
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"I Like You" is a picture book written by American author Sandol Stoddard Warburg. It is a book which can finish reading it quickly,but the touching feeling will last permanently.
In this picture book, every sentence in every page starts with "I like you because......", which shares many reasons why people like each other. The author uses simple words and illustration in the book, but appropriately expresses the true meaning of relationship.
Nowadays, people are often too shy to express their true emotion and love to their family, friends, or love ones, especially for conservative Asian people. However, emotional communication is really important for people who want to keep a good relationship with others, for it can build up more solid trust between people and people. After reading this book, readers will discover that perhaps it is not too difficult to express their love, but they just need an action, for example, giving this book to their special one.
"Here is the book that Romeo would have given Juliet; Charlie Brown would have given Snoopy; and now friends of all ages can give this to their special someone."(From: I Like You) Try to express your love to your special ones, and both of you will receive happiness after a simple action.
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"Norwegain Wood" is a romantic novel written by Japanese novelist Murakami Haruki. This is a story not only describe the romantic relationship between a boy and two girls, but also explain the attitude of facing dead.
The main character in this novel-Watanaba, who is a college student, has experienced that his best friend committed suicide. Watanaba not only felt sorrowful himself but also felt sympathy for his best friend's girlfriend-Naoko. Watanaba wanted to console Naoko's sadness, so he accompanied her all the time, and gradually fell in love with her. However, Naoko still could not walk out of the sorrow, and she ended her life by committing suicide as her boyfriend did eventually.
At the same time, Watanaba discovered that not only did he fall in love with Naoko, but he was also attracted by his friend Midori. His feeling to two girls made him feel confused and guilty. Even after Naoko committed suicide, Watanaba was still afraid to accept Midori's love. Fortunately, it was Midori's love that finally gave him the courage to pursue his own happiness.
The author conveyed two important concepts in this novel. The first one is about love. Some people may have the experience that they fall in love with someone at first; however, their love to that person gradually transfer into friendship or family affection, and they are attracted by another person. In this situation, some people may feel guilty and have pressure of not being able to fulfill the promise they had made before. In this novel, the author said that the two people are just like beautiful lake and blue sky, both of them are charming and appealing to you in the beginning. Nevertheless, one day you will find out which one you like more, and all your changing is reasonable; therefore, it is unnecessary to be so disappointed that even lose the opportunity to pursue your truth love and your own happiness.
Another concept is about the attitude of facing dead. The main character in this novel had two experience of facing dead. One is his best friend, and another is his beloved girl. In the two times experience, he realized that no matter what kind of truth or belief you have, it can not cure the sorrow of losing beloved. Even you already have an experience, but the experience will still be useless when you face the next parting. This is because everyone is irreplaceable; therefore, the only thing you can do is to walk through the sorrow and you can finally end the sorrow.
I really recommend this novel, for the author conceals a lot of important concepts for readers to reflect by themselves in the plot. It is a novel that worth of reading, because readers will have different feedback during their every time reading.
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"Battle Royale" is a detective and horrible novel written by Japanese novelist Koushun Takami. It's a novel about the test of the humanity, which is the best explanation of the proverb "A friend in need is a friend indeed."
In the story, one class was selected randomly from all the high schools in Japan. The class was forced to attend a "plan", which imprisoned all the students in the class in a secret island, and demanded them to kill each other until the only survivor came out. If the students didn't follow the order, all of them would be killed in 24 hours. The only way to survive and escape from the island is to be the winner in this massacre.
How can the pure high school aged students kill people? Even the ones they are forced to kill are the classmates who they get along with from morning till evening? Once people are in the danger which threaten their life, they will find out that how frangible is the trust between people and people, and how large is their desire to live. People's fear to dead and their eagerness to live may control their behavior, and this will make people behave in the way that is out of their imagination.
I really recommend this novel, not only because of the intensive and attractive plots of it, but also because of the exquisite description of humanity. People with different personalities will act in a totally different way as they face the danger; however, one thing that can make sure is all people's behavior are for their own benefits.
Readers can imagine that if you are in the same situation as the characters in the novel, what will your reaction be? "Battle Royale" is a novel that readers can understand themselves more after reading it.
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