Seventeen
the new novel from the bestselling Japanese sensation
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SIX FOUR: A TENSE INVESTIGATION IN THE AFTERMATH OF AN AIR DISASTER.
'He's a master' New York Times Book Review
'Very different . . . to almost anything out there' Observer
1985. Kazumasa Yuuki, a seasoned reporter at the North Kanto Times, runs a daily gauntlet against the power struggles and office politics that plague its newsroom. But when an air disaster of unprecedented scale occurs on the paper's doorstep, its staff are united by an unimaginable horror, and a once-in-a-lifetime scoop.
2002. Seventeen years later, Yuuki remembers the adrenaline-fuelled, emotionally charged seven days that changed his and his colleagues' lives. He does so while making good on a promise he made that fateful week - one that holds the key to its last unsolved mystery, and represents Yuuki's final, unconquered fear.
'Seventeen is a brilliant novel on any level - it's a gripping page turner, while remaining moving and complex. It's a deeply satisfying read and it will be a while before I read anything as good' William Ryan
'An astringent, unforgiving picture of modern Japanese society' Guardian
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Based on the author's own experiences as a reporter assigned to cover the crash of a Japanese passenger airliner, this engrossing thriller from Yokoyama (Six Four) focuses on newsroom tensions. By 1985, it has been five years since Kazumasa Yuuki, the most senior journalist at the North Kanto Times, has accepted any duties involving supervising others. He stepped off the regular career path after his chastisement of a junior staffer, Ryota Mochizuki, immediately preceded Mochizuki's death in a traffic accident that was suspected to be a suicide. But Yuuki is thrust back into a position of authority after JAL flight 123 crashes into a mountain, and he's assigned to coordinate his paper's coverage and decide what angles to pursue. His struggle to place informing the public, especially the survivors of the victims, above other concerns leads to job-threatening conflict. Impressively, Yokoyama makes accessible drama out of Yuuki's battles with his colleagues and superiors, and the introduction of an opportunity for personal redemption provides some glimmers of hope in an otherwise depressing tale. Readers will be deeply moved.
