Kawashima decides he can't keep standing over his daughter's crib, ice pick in hand, an urge to act. He loves his daughter too much. He needs a different target.
He starts planning his perfect murder. How he'd love to hear the snap of an Achilles tendon being cut. He fills a notebook with details. Then, it's time. He sets his plan into motion. Little does he know he's on a collision course with a victim that is as broken as he is.
The Vibe
Everyone's running around comparing wounds, like bodybuilders showing off their muscles. And what's really unbelievable is that they really believe they can heal the wounds like that, just by putting them on display.
Piercing is a grim book. Murder-planning, ice picks, childhood trauma, self-harm. It's a potent mix, and yet it's handled with restraint. The descriptions aren't gratuitous. They serve a purpose. It's bordering on 5 candles, but Murakami pulls it back to 4.
This is a book of sheer focus. There's no fat here. Two broken people on a collision course, no flinching, no padding. The switching perspectives are integral to build sympathy for the characters, to understand their reactions, to make us fear the conclusion.
5 stars.