Award-winning YA Lit: Confessions: A Novel by Kanae Minato

1.     BIBLIOGRAPHY

Minato, Kanae, and Stephen Snyder. Confessions: A Novel. New York: Mulholland, 2014. Print.

2.     PLOT SUMMARY
Yūko Moriguchi, a middle-school teacher in Japan, is devastated after her four-year-old daughter is found dead on the campus she works at. She investigates the death herself, and realizes that it wasn’t an accident—it was murder, and her own pupils are to blame. It’s now the last day of school, and Moriguchi has one final lesson to give, and that lesson sets a devastating plot into motion.

3.     CRITICAL ANALYSIS characters, plot, setting, theme, style, authenticity

Confessions is a high-intensity book that is best read with little or no information about the plot so that it can be more fully enjoyed as the twists and turns happen. That being said, it is hard to critically analyze it without giving any of the plot away, so there will be minor spoilers in the following section, but I will endeavor to keep them as minimal as possible while still analyzing the book.

The book follows six different narrators, all with their own distinct voice. What makes these characters so interesting though is their moral ambiguity. Unlike most books, even the protagonist (Moriguchi) makes decisions that, while obviously seem justified to the character, are not the sort of decisions most readers would be able to condone. It becomes an intense adventure as the reader attempts to unravel the plot without the guide of a character’s moral compass.

This book was originally written in Japanese, and the cultural differences between Japan and America will be noticeable, especially the interactions between students and perhaps the way some family members interact with each other. However, the cultural differences only add to the flavor of the book, giving it a more authentic feel to its Japanese setting.

Also, while this won the 2014 Alex Award as an adult book that would have special interest to young adults, because of the moral ambiguity of the characters, it might be more recommended for older teens.

4.     CREATIVE ACTIVITY

I have two activities related to Confessions, though both are discussions.

Discussion 1: Was Yūko Moriguchi justified with what she did? Did any of the main characters have justifiable reasons for their actions?

This sort of discussion should have some research done by the students beforehand. This would also be an ideal time to discuss some basic philosophies (such as tabula rasa) that students could use as part of their argument for whether or not Moriguchi was justified.

(As a side note, in my senior year of high school English, we had a similar discussion about Medea and whether or not she was justified in her actions in Medea by Euripides. We had to have at least three points to offer on both sides, preferably at least one on each side with philosophical backup. It was one of the best discussions I have ever had about a book; everyone was able to discuss morality without feeling personally attacked or invested.)

Discussion 2: Compare/contrast Yūko Moriguchi with other characters from revenge stories. Whether in classic literature (Edmund Dantes in The Count of Monte Christo to Hamlet in Hamlet) or popular culture (The Bride in Kill Bill to Wesley from Princess Bride), revenge is a popular subject. Can a character enact revenge and still be considered a good person? A moral person? How does the choice for revenge change their lives?

5.     RELATED RESOURCES

Other revenge movies:

·         Memento

·         Kill Bill

·         True Grit

·         Oldboy

·         Sympathy for Lady Vengeance

·         Carrie

·         The Prestige

·         Memento

·         Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

·         A good portion of the horror genre (Shutter, The Last House on the Left)

Confessions was actually made into a movie, directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, that could also be watched.

6.     PUBLISHED REVIEW 

Minato, Kanae, and Stephen Snyder. Confessions: A Novel. New York: Mulholland, 2014. Print.