Hideo Yokoyama

FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SIX FOUR: A TENSE INVESTIGATION IN THE AFTERMATH OF AN AIR DISASTER - PERFECT FOR FANS OF SPOTLIGHT AND AFTER THE CRASH. '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

A tense, powerful thriller from the bestselling author of Six Four 1985. Kazumasa Yuuki, a seasoned reporter at the North Kanto Times, runs a daily gauntlet of 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 is united by an unimaginable horror and a once-in-a-lifetime scoop. 2003. Seventeen years later, Yuuki remembers the adrenaline-fueled, 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 solved mystery and represents Yuuki’s final, unconquered fear. From Hideo Yokoyama, the celebrated author of Six Four, comes Seventeen—an investigative thriller set amid the aftermath of disaster.

A Novel

Nico J

Previously, I've read Six Four and though it was long like others mentioned, I found it to be a fun and winding read. The tone of this novel is completely different and it goes a bit up and down for me, and my feelings change throughout. The incident with the plane crash was exciting, but they dangle the carrot in favor of exploring the dynamics in the news room - nothing wrong with that. It ends up being a more thorough and layered story than originally expected and eventually appreciated the characters more by the end. The fickle, cultural things are a little weird and difficult to chew on, but, having read and learned about them before, it's not something I need to spit out nor does it make it a totally distasteful read. I like the short chapters that explore feelings with little fat. The protagonist is frustrating in his waffling, but, it's not an easy situation to be handling; the job of manning the crash desk isn't an easy one.

The stress of the job rubs off on his family, and so much of the book was highlighting difficult relationships and how they're handled the different cultural spheres - Japanese work culture, journalism culture, the business side of journalism, and personal issues with the characters. It's interesting to see people with hard childhoods and it describes what it does to the people in their circles. A great character study, in the end.

Seventeen

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