Review:
It's Yuko Moriguchi's last day as a teacher - in the wake of her four-year-old daughter Manami's death and news that Manami's father is dying, Moriguchi has decided to retire. However, before she goes she wants her class to know that she has learned that Manami's death was not a tragic accident, but rather a scheme involving two of her students, and she wants them to know how she has decided to punish her daughter's killers.
The things she says shake her class to its foundations. The two accused students, who everyone recognizes even though Moriguchi only refers to them as A and B, are particularly affected and begin to self-destruct, although each of them does it in their own unique way.
This book reminded me strongly of Rikako Akiyoshi's The Dark Maidens, another story explored through several POVs that gradually reveals all the truths surrounding a terrible event in the characters' pasts. I'd definitely recommend giving that one a try if you liked Confessions.
Anyway, the things Moriguchi revealed were horrifying enough, but later chapters, from her students' POVs, revealed that there was not only more going on that Moriguchi didn't know about (not that it made a difference in the end, since a 4-year-old was still dead) but also what her students were truly capable of when pushed past their breaking points. All of these characters assumed they knew what others were thinking and made absolutely horrible decisions based on their assumptions.
I should have reviewed this back when I finished it in August, but I can at least say that it was a gripping story, even though something about the ending didn't quite feel right. I'd definitely like to read more of Minato's works.
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