Very engrossing novel from Hayder that weaves two storylines together: the first is the story of Grey, a disturbed young woman from England who travels to Tokyo to try to find out some truths about the Nanking massacre of 1937; and second the story of Shi Chongming, who recounts in painful detail through his diary his memories of the Japanese invasion of Nanking and the attempts that he and his wife Shujing make to to stay alive.
Grey had read in a book with an orange cover some harrowing accounts of Nanking when she was very young but no one believes her when she tells what she had read and they think that she has mental issues and winds up in an institution. She had taken some drastic steps because of what she had read and then when released seeks out Shi Chongming in Tokyo to try to validate what she had earlier read. Chongming supposedly has a film of some of the atrocities committed by the Japanese in Nanking and Grey must see the film to confirm that she is not delusional. Upon arriving in Japan, Grey has no money and ends up working in a hostess club frequented by the Japanese mafia or yakuza, the head of which, Fuyuki is apparently using some substance to maintain his health and keep alive. Grey makes a deal with Chongming to find out what this substance is in return for him letting her see the film of Nanking. Grey is determined to answer her question to herself: "is ignorance the same as insanity or evil?" Overall a very moving and thrilling novel that I would highly recommend.
Hayder used as one of her sources The Rape of Nanking by the late Iris Chang, the first serious attempt to alert a wider public to the massacre. I have a copy of this book and will be reading it sometime in the near future.
Grey had read in a book with an orange cover some harrowing accounts of Nanking when she was very young but no one believes her when she tells what she had read and they think that she has mental issues and winds up in an institution. She had taken some drastic steps because of what she had read and then when released seeks out Shi Chongming in Tokyo to try to validate what she had earlier read. Chongming supposedly has a film of some of the atrocities committed by the Japanese in Nanking and Grey must see the film to confirm that she is not delusional. Upon arriving in Japan, Grey has no money and ends up working in a hostess club frequented by the Japanese mafia or yakuza, the head of which, Fuyuki is apparently using some substance to maintain his health and keep alive. Grey makes a deal with Chongming to find out what this substance is in return for him letting her see the film of Nanking. Grey is determined to answer her question to herself: "is ignorance the same as insanity or evil?" Overall a very moving and thrilling novel that I would highly recommend.
Hayder used as one of her sources The Rape of Nanking by the late Iris Chang, the first serious attempt to alert a wider public to the massacre. I have a copy of this book and will be reading it sometime in the near future.
