Originally posted April 29, 2024. I do love a good psychological mystery, where characters review and re-review memories, trapping themselves in an ant spiral of rumination until you’re no longer sure what the truth is. The Conversation (1974), Anatomy of a Fall (2023), Kisaragi (2007). Riku Onda’s excellent The Aosawa Murders belongs to this genre, as does her second book translated in English, Fish Swimming in Dappled Sunlight (also translated by Alison Watts). The Aosawa Murders being a personal favourite, when I saw Onda’s latest at the library I grabbed it instantly, and while I didn’t like it quite as much as its predecessor, it was an interesting character study, if not particularly mysterious. The narration alternates between our two protagonists, a former couple who we eventually learn are named Hiro and Aki (short for Chihiro and Chiaki). This is their last night in their apartment, stripped bare before they individually move out, and thus their last chance to hash ou...