Length: 374 pages
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Yasuko had left her bad marriage to Togashi and its terrible memories behind. She had made a new life for her daughter Misato and herself, one that was filled with hard work and happiness. And one that was devoid of the terror that Togashi had brought to her daily. Until he turns up at her doorstep one day. To protect her daughter, Yasuko commits the greatest crime of all, and Togashi ends up dead in her apartment.
Unsure of how to keep her daughter and herself safe from the consequences of her actions, Yasuko accepts the help she receives from the most unexpected of persons – her unassuming, quiet neighbor, and maths teacher, Ishigami. And when the police investigation leads Detective Kusanagi to Yasuko, he finds nothing but an alibi that just about holds its own. Yet, Kusanagi has his own helper – physicist, occasional consultant, college friend, and genius, Dr. Yukawa. Fate puts Yukawa against Ishigami, his old friend and mathematician extraordinaire, and the only person Yukawa considered smarter than himself.
What happens when two brilliant minds are pitted against each other? Can Ishigami fulfill his vow to protect Yasuko and Misato? Does friendship have a chance of survival? Or will unexpected betrayal tear apart the delicately woven fabric that holds so many lives in the balance?
My take:
To begin with, let me say that the above blurb contains a lot of information, but no spoilers. Everything happens in the first three chapters and sets a stage for the story that follows.
Now, you’d imagine that a story in which the victim, murderer, and aids to murder are laid out in the first few chapters would have little to offer in terms of mystery and suspense. But that’s where The Devotion of Suspect X is so incredible. Even with everything already explained, it manages to shock, surprise, and make you (audibly) gasp. It keeps you thinking about what bad (or good) is about to happen as the investigation unfolds, and it makes you turn pages while wishing you could read faster.
But that’s not even the best part.
Sure, there are really well-done characters, an intricately woven storyline, lots of things happening, and a lot to process.
But the most amazing part of the book is the presentation of logic, rationality, and emotion. We are used to believing that logic and emotion can rarely co-exist. But The Devotion of Suspect X tells you that, in reality, they do exist together and are, in fact, highly dependent on each other for their existence. The book gives you a look into the psyche of people that is both, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It explores the depths to which emotion (of every positive and negative kind) can go, and shows you how, the deeper you go, the more enabling or catastrophic emotion can be. And this is done in a way that leaves you absolutely reeling. Higashino makes you feel for and associate with the characters in an art-that-was-lost sort of way – establishing powerful connections that stay with you long after the book is done.
The only reason I would give it a 4.5 instead of a 5 is because I wanted it to go a step further at the end. There are some loose ends (even though how they tie up is pretty implied) that I would have liked more explicitly covered. Other than that, there is little to complain about in the book. It’s fast paced, super-engrossing, deep, and so, so interesting. All in all, a rollercoaster of an experience that I’m glad to have gotten on.
Recommended for:
- Ages 16+ (because it is a bit complicated as a read)
- Anyone who likes psychological thrillers
- Fans of crime fiction and whodunits
I would love to read your thoughts on The Devotion of Suspect X (or this review too). Tell us what you think in the comments below!
– Rishika
The Book Review Station 