[Baking Typewriter] "What Should We Call the Crime That Is the Opposite of Murder?"

Mystery novels have long been beloved by readers. The world's first mystery novel is known to be Edgar Allan Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," published in 1841. Since then, countless mystery novels have brought us enjoyment. Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" and "Murder on the Orient Express," as well as Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and "The Valley of Fear," are particularly famous. Mystery is not limited to novels. Recently, on the online video service Netflix, "Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man" was released. The Knives Out series, which began with the first film in 2019, continues to deliver fresh ideas and messages as a mystery movie series.

Shuichi Yoshida's new work, "Sin, Love for Ten Thousand Years," is a mystery novel in which, like other detective stories, a private detective and several characters are trapped on a stormy island and work together to solve a mystery. The author is also the original creator of the film "National Treasure," which attracted 10 million viewers in Japan this year and continues to be popular in Korea. With his novel "National Treasure," he won the Japan Art Encouragement Prize from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, as well as the Chuo Koron Literary Prize, and is already recognized as a leading figure in Japanese literature. He said that this novel was inspired by a line from director Wong Kar-wai's film "Chungking Express": "I will set the expiration date of my love to ten thousand years."

The central figure in this new novel is Umeda Sogo, the famous founder of a department store. After retiring, Umeda Sogo lives on a remote island, spending his days searching every night for the treasure "Love for Ten Thousand Years." The tension in the story escalates when Umeda Sogo, his family and friends, and the private detective Togatta Ranpei-who has been asked to find both the family and the treasure-gather on the island. Just as they are enjoying dinner and having fun together, a typhoon strikes, trapping them on the island. Although they try to contact the police, the authorities are unable to reach the island. This creates a so-called "closed circle" setting, where a small group of insiders must solve the mystery among themselves.

Although it is a mystery novel, it also deals with modern Japanese history. Umeda Sogo may seem like a simple rich man who spent his youth as a famous businessman and his old age on an island, but he lost his parents and entire family as a child during World War II. If his father had not been generous to those around him while alive, Umeda Sogo would have had nowhere to stay. Umeda Sogo was also once implicated in a housewife disappearance case during Japan's period of economic growth. At the time, Umeda Sogo was released without any charges. The housewife's husband also became a suspect because he had continuously committed domestic violence against his wife. However, the author bitterly notes, "At that time, domestic violence was considered nothing out of the ordinary."

Umeda Sogo leaves behind a cryptic message on the island and suddenly disappears. The sentence he leaves behind prompts reflection on human nature: "What should we call the crime that is the opposite of murder?" As the novel progresses, it expands beyond a simple mystery to explore questions about human existence and the wounds society inflicts on individuals. In an interview about this novel, Shuichi Yoshida said, "I wanted to write a story that makes people think about what it means to be human. I believe it is important for the story to feature living, breathing people."

Scenes of the private detective solving the case in this novel are reminiscent of "And Then There Were None," offering the unique pleasures of a mystery novel. In addition, the characters' tragic backgrounds add depth to the story. If you want to experience both enjoyment and depth, "Sin, Love for Ten Thousand Years" is highly recommended.

Sin, Love for Ten Thousand Years | Written by Shuichi Yoshida | Translated by Lee Youngmi | Eunhaengnamu | 340 pages | 18,000 won