The Devotion of Suspect X _ discussion questions

---

The Devotion of Suspect X

저자

Higashino, Keigo/ Smith, Alexander O. (TRN) 지음

출판사

St Martins Pr | 2012-02-28 출간

카테고리

문학/만화

책소개

Yasuko Hanaoka thought she had esca...

글쓴이 평점  

---

2년 전쯤에 한글로 읽고 너무 재미있어서, 원서 모임에서 같이 읽자고 추천했다. 그런데 다 좋은데 토론 자료가 없다. 그래서 직접 만들었다. 아아... 한계가 마구마구 느껴진다. 

재미있는 책은 영어로 읽어도 재밋다. 스릴러 임에도 잔인한 묘사가 절제되고 있고, 어려운 단어 역시 사용하지 않는다. 등장인물도 몇 되지 않기 때문에 혼동도 적다. 누구에게나 추천할만한 재미있는 추리소설이다. 하지만 영어 번역의 한계가 있긴 하다. 한글로 읽을 때 좋았던 부분을 영어로 찾아보고자 하였으나, 그 부분은 번역되지 않았다.

삶을 포기한 순간, 사람의 마음은 그 어느 때보다 순수해진다. 모든 욕망이 사라져버렸기 때문이다. 그 순수한 눈에 성실하고 선량하게 살아가는 한 여자의 삶에 대한 의지가 아름답게 비친다. 자신이 갖지 못했던, 또는 자포자기했던 삶의 의지가 발하는 아우라가 그 여자에게는 있었다. 그는 그 아름다운 여자에게 자신의 모든 것을 바치리라 다짐한다. 거기에는 어떤 의도도 없고 계산도 없다. 그가 평소 연구하는 수학처럼 순수한 의지가 한 인간을 향해 펼쳐지는 순간이다. (p.402)

↓↓↓↓↓책 사러가기↓↓↓↓↓

용의자 X의 헌신히가시노 게이고(Keigo Higashino) 상세보기

---

 The Devotion of Suspect X 

---

Plot

The story begins with Tetsuya Ishigami and Yasuko Hanaoka following their daily routines. Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced single mother who works at a restaurant packing meals for its locals. Ishigami is a highly talented mathematics teacher, who lives next door to Yasuko and her daughter Misato. When Togashi (Yasuko's abusive ex-husband) shows up one day to extort money from Yasuko, threatening both her and Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence, and Togashi is killed by mother and daughter. Overhearing the commotion, Ishigami, who is secretly enamored of Yasuko but has never told her so, offers his help, disposing of the body and plotting the cover-up of the murder step-by-step.

When the body turns up and is identified, Kusanagi (the detective investigating the murder case) draws the case and Yasuko comes under suspicion. Kusanagi is unable to find any obvious holes in Yasuko's manufactured alibi, but still he is sure that there's something wrong with her story, a suspicion that he cannot shake. Kusanagi brings in Dr. Manabu Yukawa, a physicist and his college friend who frequently consults with the police. Yukawa also went to college with Ishigami, where he learned of Ishigami's problem-solving techniques and abilities; Yukawa highly rates Ishigami's intelligence. After meeting him again after so many years, Yukawa becomes convinced that Ishigami had something to do with the murder. What ensues is a high-level battle of wits between Yukawa and Ishigami, as Ishigami tries to protect Yasuko by outmaneuvering and outthinking Yukawa; the teacher is Yukawa's most clever and determined opponent yet.

When Yukawa finally understands Ishigami's plans, he is awestruck by the devotion shown by Ishigami to Yasuko. Ishigami is not the person everyone sees, but only Yukawa could understand his plan to cover up the murder committed by Yasuko.

 

Biography

Keigo Higashino is one of the most popular and biggest selling fiction authors in Japan and born in Osaka, he started writing novels while still working as an engineer at Nippon Denso Co. (presently DENSO). He won the Edogawa Rampo Award, which is awarded annually to the unpublished finest mystery work, in 1985 for the novel Hōkago (After School) at age 27. Subsequently, he quit his job and started a career as a writer in Tokyo.

In 1999, he won the Mystery Writers of Japan Inc. award for the novel Himitsu (The Secret), which was translated into English by Kerim Yasar and published by Vertical under the title of Naoko in 2004. In 2006, he won the 134th Naoki Prize for the Devotion of Suspect X. His novels had been nominated five times before winning the award.

Bibliography

He writes not only mystery novels but also essays and story books for children. The style of writing differs from his novels, but basically he does not use as many characters as in his novels. His novels have more movie and TV series adaptations.

Q. Have you read his novels or watched movie adaptations?

 

Q. Which one of above books do you want to read next?

Review

Q. Did you like the book? How many points would you give for the book? Please write down the point you would give, 1 to 10.

 

Q. What did you like and dislike about the book? 

 

Q. Would you recommend this book? If so, to whom would you recommend it?

 

Q. What do you think the most important, impressive or favorite part of the story?  

 

Q. If you have any part you didn`t like, what part of the story do you want to change?

- 영어번역이 이상하다는 의견이 있었음.

- 내용면에서 이상한 점은 엄청나게 히트친 소설이니 이상한 점이 있었다면 나 대신 누군가가 발견해 주었겠지만. 범죄의 모티브가 너무 약하지 않았나.

- 야스코가 토가시를 죽일만큼 싫어하게된 이야기 묘사가 필요했다는 의견이 있었다.

- 또 다른 사람을 사랑하는 것이 살인을 저지를 정도인가?

- 일반적으로는 죄로 죄를 숨기진 않을 것이고, 그렇게 한다면 더 불리한 결과를 가져올수도 있는데 말이다.

Characters and Casting

The Devotion of Suspect X	용의자 X	容疑者Xの獻身
·         Tetsuya Ishigami Math teacher who has fallen in love with Yasuko	류승범	츠츠미 신이치
·         Yasuko Hanaoka A single mother who murdered her ex-husband	이요원	마츠유키 야스코
·         Misato Hanaoka Yasuko's daughter from a previous marriage	김보라
·         Manabu Yukawa Tetsuya Ishigami's old college friend, both are as intelligent as the other.	none	후쿠야마 마사하루
·         Shunpei Kusanagi Detective in charge of dealing with the case of Togashi's murder	조진웅	시바사키 코우
·         Shinji Togashi Yasuko's ex-husband who stalked her and is later killed by her, the victim of the crime under investigation

Q. Do you like casting? Which film do you want to watch?

 

Q. If you don’t like above casting, who will you cast?

 

Q. Would you want to watch the movie adaptation of one of your favorite novels?

 

Why study math? (p.202 ~ 203)

Ishigami remembered when Morioka had asked him what good differential and integral calculus was. Ishigami had used motorbike racing as an example, but he wasn’t sure if that got through to the boy. Morioka’s attitude didn’t annoy Ishigami. It was only natural to wonder why one had to study something. Once such questions were answered – well, then there was an objective, something to learn toward. And that could lead down the path toward an understanding of the true nature of mathematics.

Yet too many teachers refused to answer simple questions of relevance from their students. No, Ishigami thought, they probably aren’t able to answer them. They taught without really understanding only of coaxing a passing grade from the students so they could send them on their way to make room for next year’s flock. Questions like Morioka’s would have been nothing but an irritation to them.

 

Q. Did you wonder why you had to study when you were a student?

 

Q. Korean education doesn’t help students realize the importance and worth of life. How can students establish their own values on life?

- let them experience and mistake and wait for them

- parents do not decide everything to give the shortest way

 

Q. Why do you keep studying English or something?

- wide range of selected books!

 

Q. Why do we need to have a discussion after reading books? Do you think that it is necessary?

 

If you were Ishigami

Q. What would you do when your love committed murder accidentally?

 

Q. Would you change your mind if the murder was committed willfully[intentionally]?

 

Q. Why didn’t Ishigami tell her his love?

- low self-esteem

 

Q. Ishigami killed a homeless to give Hanaokas freedom. If Hanaokas live sincerely instead of the homeless who probably didn’t have any meaning of life, is Ishigami able to justify the murder?

 

è  Q. Guess you are a doctor and have an only medicine. You prescribe the medicine for a patient who doesn’t have any meaning of life. Before the patient gets the prescription, another patient longing strongly for life comes to see you and needs the medicine. Would you cancel a prescription for the previous patient and give the medicine to another one?

If you were Yukawa (p.280)

I seriously doubt she knows the truth of what happened. She doesn’t know the sacrifice Ishigami’s made. I`ll tell her. Wait and see what she decides to do. I`m sure Ishigami wants her to be happily ignorant of everything. But I cannot stand for that. I think she needs to know. No idea. I don’t really think she should turn herself in, myself, given the circumstances. When I think of what Ishigami would want, I`m inclinced to say she should go free.

 

Q. Would you tell Yasuko all the truth that Ishigami killed a homeless for her?

 

Q. Yukawa appears in many of Keigo Higashino’s novels. Why does the author like Yukawa?

è  탐정 갈릴레오, 예지몽, 용의자 X의 헌신, 갈릴레오의 고뇌(단편), 성녀의 구제, 한여름의 방정식

 

If you were Yasuko

“I know you wanted us to be happy, but that’s∙∙∙ that’s impossible. I should pay for what I did, too. I’m to blame, too. I’ll take the blame with you, Mr. Ishigami. That’s the only thing I can do for you. I’m sorry. I’m so very, very sorry.” Yasuko crouched with both hands on the floor, her head resting against the tiles. (p.297 ~ p.298)

 

Q. Would you turn yourself in at the end?

 

Q. If you knew the whole plan before he killed a homeless, would you turn yourself and Misato into the police?

 

Yasuko knew why Ishigami was going so far out of his way to help her and her daughter. Like Sayoko had said, he had a thing for her.

Suddenly she wondered what would happen if she got close to another man. Would Ishigami keep helping her like he had? Would he keep solving all their problems? (p.105)

 

Q. Would you care for Ishigami if you weren’t sent to jail?

If you were a member of jury,

Q. What was he guilty of?

- He is guilty of murder and destruction of evidence of murder, criminal disposal of a dead body bicycle theft

- 살인, 증거인멸, 사체유기, 자전거 절도 등

 

Q. Would you accept that Yasuko acted in self-defense?

 

Q. Would you agree with that Ishigami deserved a heavy punishment?

 

Meaning of life

Ishigami’s life changed after he met the Hanaokas; in that moment he was renewed. All thought of suicide faded. Joy returned to his daily rituals. It made him happy just imagining where the two of them might be, what they might be doing. He had added the coordinates of Yasuko and Misato to the matrix of his life, and to him, it seemed like a miracle had occurred.

∙∙∙

Yet when trouble arrived and they needed help, it was only natural for Ishigami to go to their aid. After all, if they hadn’t been there for him, he would no longer be alive. He was returning the greatest of favors. They certainly had no idea what they had done, but that was okay. Sometimes, all you had to do was exist in order to be someone’s savior.

 

Q. Why do you think people try suicide?

- loneliness, low self-esteem

 

Q. What is your meaning of life? What makes you happy?

 

Human nature

Q. Do you think that human nature is fundamentally good or evil?