Penance

My enjoyment of the previous book of the author [b:Confessions 19161835 Confessions Kanae Minato https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1401076501l/19161835.SX50.jpg 4371200] was curbed by it's misinformative fearmongering about HIV, although it was competently written and an engrossing thriller. Anytime I thought about it afterwards it left a bad feeling in my mouth so I was hesitant to try this, though I can safely say it's a much better experience. I really enjoyed the format and the way individual stories were connecting and with each story you'd get another piece of the picture. Unlike in her previous book I think all characters were handled with sympathy. It'd be easy for the characters to blend into each other but they each not only dealt with the trauma in a completely different way but also had different voices. The ending was also surprisingly satisfying. 3.5 rolled up cw: very mild spoilers as it happens early on csa among other things. Not as graphic as in [b:Earthlings 50269327 Earthlings Sayaka Murata https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580144195l/50269327.SY75.jpg 64972303] but still something I wish I knew going into.