A man dies who isn't who he claimed to be.   Left behind is a wife, daughter and step son of the imposter, and also an ex-girlfriend and the family of the man who he claimed to be.

In steps Kido to figure it all out for everyone, a lawyer whose own life is a bit on the rocks.   Kido becomes obsessed tracking down the real Daisuké and figuring out who the imposter really was and why he would do such a thing.   And while the tracking goes on through the book Kido begins to question his own life and failing marriage.

In Kido's searching for the real Daisuké and the imposter's true identity we are taken on a journey about life itself: who are we really if we can just jump into someone else's past and assume the rest of their life as our own? ( )

“Kido suspected that he envied and admired X for being able to discard his past and start anew. Otherwise, there was no satisfactory way to explain his interest in the man. Kido told himself that this desire, the wish to experience the life of another, was not exclusive to those who had lost all hope in the present. It was perfectly normal, an inevitable response to the human predicament, to our entrapment within a single, finite existence.”

This is a well-crafted story about a lawyer, Akira Kido, seeking to help a widow find out the real identity of her husband, whom Kido calls X. Her husband had been living under another person’s name. In the process of his research, we learn of his Kido’s personal life and his struggles to repair his broken marriage.

It is a well-written literary mystery. It is a quiet, reflective novel, with deep emphasis on character. It explores identity, memory, mortality, and the gap between the lives we lead and the lives we desire to lead. It also examines the racial history of conflict between Koreans and Japanese. The mystery is the thread that pulls the reader along, drawing on curiosity. Who were these people and why did they desire to lead other lives? It includes multiple layers of intrigue and engages the brain.

I think the reader needs to know it is a mystery but not a thriller. There is little danger to the main characters and there is not much action. The main draw is the writing. I read the English translation by Eli K.P. William. This is my type of book. It has enough of a plot to hold interest, contains deeply drawn characters, and illuminates aspects of human existence in the world. I absolutely loved it. I am adding it to my favorites and plan to read more of Hirano’s works.

“It’s unbearable to have your identity summed up by one thing and one thing only and for other people to have control over what that is.”
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I love reading outside my own national and culture because it's a great way to gain empathy and understanding for people who are not like you--and to be constantly reminded that we are fundamentally so much alike, wherever we're from. This is an extraordinarily inventive novel from a deeply original mind. It is challenging, at times, to follow the leisurely unspooling of the plot. But it's ultimately very rewarding and I recommend it as something entirely different. ( )

This Japanese novel written by Keiichiro Hirano and translated by Eli K P William is a mystery about identity theft. It has a complex and intriguing plot which held my attention until the end. At times the identity changes were so complicated, I became rather confused and baffled. But ultimately with all the swapping of identities, all we can really say is that someone is "a man".

This was an excellent read. I really enjoyed it. Beautifully written with an intriguing plot. I certainly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for sending me this ARC. ( )

My first Japanese author! It was an intriguinmg read- very descriptive of landscapes and places. Good story telling of the struggles to find our place in the world and wondering if we could have a different life. ( )