Lead Review

• Book: What’s Left of Me is Yours
• Location: Japan, Tokyo
• Author: Stephanie Scott

Review Author: tripfiction

4.5*

Listening to an audiobook is an immersive experience and I have truly spent the last few days in Japan. The detail and rhythm of the prose make for wonderful imagery.

Sumiko is looking back at her mother Rina’s life. As far as she knows, she was killed in the 1990s in a car accident. But the reader knows from the outset that Rina was in fact murdered by Kaitaro, a wakaresaseya, hired by Sumiko’s father, Sato. A wakaresaseya is someone who is formally engaged to seduce the other partner in a couple relationship.

Rina and Sato had an abusive marriage and the photographic evidence provided by the wakaresaseya was intended for us in the divorce court. However, Kai and Rina start an affair of the heart and certainly from Rina’s point of view it is true love.

Sumiko has trained as a lawyer, under the steady guidance of her maternal grandfather and she starts her forensic uncovering of her family’s history.

This is the story of one family, blown apart by tragedy. It is a story of secrets and loss. It unfurls at a leisurely pace. It is detailed about Japan and its culture and food, it is perhaps a touch overly exhaustive in the coverage of Rina’s autopsy and the machinations of Japanese law – although it is utterly fascinating to realise that certain aspects were deemed acceptable only a couple of decades ago.

Japan comes alive as the story moves from the coast to Meguro and up to Hokkaido. It certainly sets a colourful and sobering backdrop.

The audiobook is narrated by Hanako Footman, who has the lilting tones, reminding me of Keira Knightley. Her enunciation is precise and crystal clear which worked fine for me, but occasionally the diction was a little skewed – equanamity for equanimity, the emphasis on damask was damāsk and cicadas were pronounced as chicadas.

Overall I really enjoyed listening to this story and felt it evolved gently and sensitively and had me enraptured. At times a little slow but I enjoyed the thoughtful pace. Recommended.

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