Literally Dead Book Club discussion

This book is broken up into 6 chapters across 240 pages. Having not read the book yet and with it being so short, I struggle to create pointed questions regarding the plot.

That is to say, please feel free to go into any and all of your thoughts and feelings from these final 2 chapters, as well as full spoilers for the book as a whole.

What is your final rating?
Did anything surprise you? Make you feel on edge?
Discuss any themes you noticed.
Have you ever read a book like this?
Will you watch the movie adaptation?

Amazing and very pleased it was a book club pick! I probably would have never picked it up on my own. I gave it a 4-4.5. It was surprising, engaging and clever. Did you realize the person who wrote this, was a former teacher? I hate movies about books I read because my brain and the screen never match. (Except Lord of the Rings, which I loved) Themes? Jr high is hell?? lol Very great pick.

to echo Lisa above, I also would have never picked this up if bit for the book club.
I am very glad I did though!

this book was very good! the narrative style was very unique and refreshing for me. however, it does kind of stab itself in the back a little. this form of storytelling is a really nice change, but I did feel that it got a bit repetitive at times.

I would also like to add that I thought the translation was handled well also.

I would watch the movie and plan to with some friends. I see it won a few awards too, so that's exciting. I often like to sit and compare books to their adaptations.

my rating for Confessions was 4 stars and I have already recommended it to multiple people. awesome book club pick!

What a strange and dark little book! I think I loved it!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I really liked the book, but mainly the first two chapters. it was nice to read and enjoy something that I would have never picked up on my own! I would recommend this book to almost anyone. I did give It 3 stars because I think the first two chapters were amazing! and it went a little down hill from there.

I don't think I would want to watch the movie adaptation, I don't want the movie to influence the way I think and feel about this book.

I agree with everything Lisette said: I loved the first two chapters and was really excited to see where book goes from there, but subsequent chapters were a little bit repetitive for me, and I found them even a bit boring. But I like the idea of this book and give it 3 stars.

I loved how creatively the plot was delivered. Really long character-based chapters worked with this one to add some tension and intrigue, and i really liked how we gradually got information about the family lives of the children.

It was a little hard to keep the character names straight with just the audiobook, but context clues worked, and i really enjoyed it.

I was so pleased to read this. Like others have said, I’m glad this was a pick as I loved it and would likely have never picked it up. Every chapter brought new twists and turns but also made the story do a full circle which is great

I’m obsessed with how this story was delivered. While I can understand how some might find it repetitive, I loved seeing the pieces click into place as I heard the story from the perspective of the key players. I listened to this on audio, which I’d highly recommend, as I was able to read it all in just a couple of settings. 4-4.5/5 for me!

Although I enjoyed the book the repetitive nature of seeing the same events from multiple viewpoints did bore me a little and I felt myself rushing through them. I did like gradual unveiling of the events and thought the ending was good. I also appreciate getting the opportunity to read a translation as I can’t remember having read from a Japanese author before. Solid 3 for me.

I gave this one a 4.5. I didn't love all the confessions equally some of them were better then others but I like how by the end of each one I got a piece of the puzzle, most of the times I was shook, even if I wasn't surprised.

I thought it was a dark little read, I think the length was perfect for the style and I don't really know what to compare it with.

I would consider watching the movie.

This is my favorite book of the year so far, not just for the club. And HELLO that ending?! I watched the movie immediately afterwards, and it was just as gripping. Nothing could have prepared me for

(SPOILER)

that phone call at the end when it is implied that Yuko blew up his mom with a bomb that he made

I loved this book! This is the first book I've ever read in one sitting (and yes maybe it's because a blurb on the back dared me to, but it was also just that good). I rated this 5 stars. This book gave me exactly what I wanted; unlikeable characters, some unreliable narrators, and intrigue. I think all of the characters made poor choices but that is so human and I could very much relate to some of their feelings.

(SPOILERS NOW)

The ending surprised me for sure. I was lulled into thinking that Yūko was giving up on revenge because she realized it wasn't going to bring back Manami, when in reality she DID NOT. She was delusional about it to the truly seem to believe herself innocent in the bombing. Just wow, loved it. But, I was also surprised that Naoki's mother decided to kill him and then herself (didn't succeed but still). Very interesting reaction.

I haven't really read a book like this in where each and every character had a confession. I just loved the almost exaggerated realness of it. We probably all have one secret we keep to ourselves (probably not like the ones in the book but still). I really enjoyed all the perspectives, looking through someone else's eyes, trying to understand why they feel the way they do.

I would totally watch the movie adaptation and I've tried to find it but I've been unsuccessful.

Thank you for choosing this book because I would have probably never found it on my own!

I loved this! It's my favourite book club pick this year by far. The first two chapters were my favourite I think, and I agree that the middle got a bit repetitive but I still thought it was interesting to see how different characters thought about the same events.
This is also one of the first thrillers where I literally gasped while reading haha. Some of the twists were soo cool. The translation was also pretty good in my opinion.
I don't know wether I'll watch the movie, but I wouldn't be opposed to it.

I gave this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed it! It was a super interesting narrative style that worked well for audio. I liked the first chapter the best, I really liked how jarring it was. It really came together well at the end.

It’s a 4 star for me! I started this book without knowing much of the plot. I just knew that it’s a story where a teacher took revenge for her dead kid. To my surprise, it is more than that! I love how a same scenario is narrated and explained differently by each characters. It’s like slowly putting together puzzle pieces and realizing how it’s more profound and meaningful once finished. :)

For me it’s a 3. It is a disturbing novel. Didn’t know that the teacher would get her revenge by getting the boys mother. Not a fan of these type of novels maybe because I am an educator and would wonder why this boy was so disturbed in the first place and help him and that would help prevent the tragedy. It’s a bit over the top. Question - do you think something like this could happen? Probably, especially with the uptick of mental help crisis in our kids. I’ll go back to my dystopian The Handmaid’s Tale and get disturbed reading that instead. 🤣 it was a nice diversion to the intensity of that book and thankfully short!

4 stars from me! I really enjoyed the concept of this book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because, as many others already have mention, it ended up being repetitive. Thankfully the lenght and the fact that every chapter gave us a new point of view of the same events didn't bore me.
I intended to read it because Gabby from gabbyreads loved it, but thanks to this book club I read it sooner rather than later! Definitely I haven't read anything like that before and I'm curious if the other books of this author have the same vibe.
I'm certainly planning on watching the movie adaptation, even though I usually prefer the book. Great pick Kayla!

WTF did I just read 😳 not a favourite- was ok, sad to say I’ve not been enjoying the picks so far but that’s just my opinion, no hate towards Kayla ❤️ It was enjoyable in parts but also a very messed up story. Also the HIV/AIDS bits throughout had my nerves on edge as phobic towards needles and such

I just finished it and I will say I did really enjoy it. The ending was just a tad bit underwhelming for me, however I did like it overall so I’m settling with a 4 ⭐️

A tough read for me as a mom. But a good and disturbing book. I don’t think I’ll ever describe my son as “a nice boy” ever again! 3-4 stars. Not sure yet. I would like to read more by her. It’s been on my list since Gabby liked it, but probably would have procrastinated if not for book club, so thanks!!

There is so much I can't wrap my head around. I may be stuck in the details and missing the bigger picture. When was this supposed to be set? By 2008, the publication date, HIV/AIDS wasn't the death sentence it was in the 80s & 90s.
Second, how could a teacher announce to the class that she deliberately attempted to infect two students with HIV and word never got out?
I can see the unresolved generational trauma and parental abuse/abandonment leading to mental instability, but this was just too out there for me.

The first chapter and last chapter were my favorite. I liked the narrative style. I gave it a 4 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book. At first it was a struggle to get through the first chapter (I felt like dnf ing it), but once I got to the next chapters I was really engaged. I liked guessing who the next confession was from. My favorite chapters were definitely from Shuya and Naoki. Loved hearing in their own words why they killed. It’s rare in real life to hear the exact reasons even though some could say they are too aware.
I have a large obsession with true crime shows and documentaries and this book definitely played into it.
The chapters that I disliked the most were from the teachers point of view. They were too … contrived. She became the vigilante but also gave off supervillain monologue vibes. Lol
Overall I would recommend and would watch the movie. 4 stars.

I'm skipping right to this last part because I read this book all in one go (thank goodness for audiobooks and tedious work tasks!) and it totally threw me for a loop. At the end I was sitting at my desk with my mouth hanging open in shock.

I loved the structure with each chapter being told from a different perspective, and the way that was used to examine the ripple effects of each character's actions, and the ways each of them tried to justify what they had done.

I think the biggest theme I picked up on was this idea of taking responsibility for things. Many of the characters try to blame someone else for their decisions or for the consequences of theirs and others actions, and Moriguchi's kind of driving message seems to be that whatever justifications you have and whatever your reasons are, your actions are still your own and no one else's. Also, as a sociology nerd, I really liked the way this touched upon labeling theory and the idea of people growing to fill the role that's put upon them.

I think there are a few plot conveniences that don't quite make enough sense to be convincing (e.g., none of the students told anyone about what Moriguchi had said/done), and there were a few things left unanswered that I wanted answers for (was it ever explained who was sending the mysterious texts? Was it Moriguchi?), but the whole project of the book was so fascinating that I didn't mind.

I didn't know there was a movie adaptation, but I'll definitely have to check it out!

4 stars. The audiobook was great. I liked the way the story was formatted. I liked the final twist. I had heard a lot about this book and was glad to have an excuse to finally read it.

I thought the HIV/AIDS plotline was strange but apparently it is a big problem in Japan.

For people who liked this book, I would recommend Your House Is on Fire, Your Children All Gone. It's about a small town where each chapter follows a different character, and they are all doing dark stuff. The chapters aren't directly connected like they are in Confessions, though.

My final rating is 3.5 ⭐. There was no mystery because it was revealed from the first two chapters who the murderes were. The next chapters were about the different characters perspective of the murder and their lives after. For me it is more of a thriller. There were parts that surprised me and made me feel on edge. I haven't read a book like this so far. I am planning to watch the movie adaptation.

I read this book in one sitting and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I ended up giving it a 4 stars which makes this the first book I've really enjoyed since starting this bookclub. I love this pick for the group and I'm so happy to have read something translated. I wouldn't have given this a chance on my own and it's definitely opened doors for me. I loved the format and narration of the book but my only criticism is that the POVs got repetitive by the last couple of chapters. Although my annoyance was much less than some of the group's; it wasn't a huge issue for me. I'm looking forward to more picks like this one.

Just finished. I’ve never read anything quite like this. The way it was told was unique, and I did enjoy the psychological aspect of the kids, and the relationships with their mothers. It did end up getting a little repetitive, but was a quick easy read. 3 stars for me.

I'm giving this 4.5 stars. I LOVED that every single chapter had at least one moment that truly shocked me. The ending was extremely satisfying as well. I will say some parts were a bit repetitive at times, and the logistics of how the teacher was able to exact her revenge were slightly unbelievable. Otherwise, though, I have no complaints. I'm definitely going to watch the film!

This was my first thriller - EVER - and my first book-club book in this group, but I can honestly say that this was a great introduction to the club and this genre! At the end, my final rating was 4.5 (4-stars for the book as a whole, but the ending bumps it up for me). It dragged a bit in places for me, but I feel like we needed the buildup to understand everything that happened. You get so much information from reading from the perspective of the different characters.

The ending to the book was my favorite part and had me so SHOOK. I was left feeling so unfulfilled that A didn't get the proper punishment and the revenge didn't work on him, but I couldn't be more wrong LOL it literally went out with a bang!

Loved this! 4 stars for me. The first two chapters and the last were my favorite. Appreciated how the author wove all the points of view together.
That ending was *chef's kiss*
Great revenge story.

Loved this!! 4/4.5, the ending was everything I wanted and I loved how all the povs gave us the complete story.

This was Japanese Horror at its finest. I seriously loved it. It was such sweet, sweet revenge.

I didn’t expect this to be a revenge story, but it was by far one of the best revenge books I’ve read.

I can’t think of anything wrong with this book. The slow build exploded (literally) at the end.

Chef’s kiss to this writer and I hope to pick up more.

5 stars.

I think I'd give this like a 3.5? I didn't find it particularly surprising, but the writing was really engrossing.

It's making me think of that book that came out in the last year or two that was about a teacher and a group of students who might have killed their daughter? Oh, what was it...

I don't think I would watch the movie. I wasn't that into the story that I need to experience it twice.

As a teacher, I knew this was one I had to pick up with the group!!

Quite obviously, the teacher representation is atypical, haha. BUT THE DISCUSSIONS on PARENTING and its effect on the classroom and teacher was SO GOOD. That is one of the biggest challenges a teacher can face... KNOWING that what a certain child NEEDS and what they're GETTING aren't aligned is SO frustrating... ESPECIALLY when it comes to things like mental health, work ethic, grading, and behavior systems. Seeing some of that discussed in first-realistic ways was awesome!! Obviously it got extreme as we went, buuuuttt that's thrillers haha.

I LOVED the writing style and storytelling methods of this book!! Finding the truth that lie between the recountings was SO fun!
I'd love to read more books with this type of setup.

I haven't settled on a rating yet, I like to give it a couple days to marinate and confirm that my rating isn't skewed by the hype of plot twists or reveals, but I think it's gonna be higher up! I think this particular book just matched me very well, and I read it at the right time.

I gave this 5 stars!

Oh my goodness, this book was wild! It reminded me of how I felt reading Gone Girl for the first time. I was completely shocked by the big twists and loved the format of storytelling. The fact that it was told in the form of confessions was so cool! Even if it was repetitive, I never once felt bored. I was intrigued in the conflicting perspectives of the characters and how one single event could cause such nightmarish consequences.

And that ending! Holy sh*t!!! Instant new fav <3

4 Stars! Definitely made me go "What?" more than a few times. That ending? Whew!

Overall, this book was a 3-star read. The first two chapters were strong, but then it got so repetitive that it lost some shock value as newer things were revealed. I appreciate the themes of revenge, and as Hope described above, the consequences of not taking responsibility for your actions. I just feel like that got lost in the repetitive narration. The final act of revenge fell flat for me because it just seemed so over the top, although I can appreciate how it tied into Shuya's issues with desperately needing approval from his mother that now he will never get. A lot of the way these characters treated each other seemed so extreme, but I guess that's the reality for some people.

Definitely my least favorite of the book club picks this year so far. From the synopsis, I thought it would be a story that took place solely in a classroom as the teacher slowly doled out her revenge on students throughout the novel, taking place in one day or so. So I was disappointed to see that's not how the story played out. But I'm glad to have read it, as I would not have picked it up on my own.

five stars! i listened to this all in one sitting. this book really surprised me. i was honestly hooked from the beginning. once we got to our two killer's POVs i was enthralled. that last chapter had me gasping for air.

i immediately watched the movie and thought it was a very good adaptation. highly recommend!

What a crazy little book! Not sure if it’s a 4 or 5 star for me. Like others have said it did get repetitive towards the end so it was a struggle to finish. Plus about halfway my audiobook check out expired so I had to finish by reading my physical copy. (I much preferred the audiobook.) The different POVs were easier to follow via listening.

Did anyone else get FOR YOUR OWN GOOD vibes?

Really glad others enjoyed this! I am just gonna copy/paste my review on TSG because that’s all the energy I have to spend on this book at this point:

Okay. Well.

First of all, I don’t know that this was the best time for me to read this book. Still processing multiple mass shootings, today the Depp/Heard verdict was REALLY hard on me, and as I finished chapter 5 of this book, there was an active shooter situation just 4 miles from my home.

So.

Definitely not going to rate this book, because I don’t know how all of those things might have colored my perspective, especially as someone is going on and on to justify why he’s planted a bomb somewhere. Like truly, fuck that. I wish I had known exactly what this story was beforehand because I absolutely would not have read it.

The writing style worked for me. I liked the different perspectives. The storytelling was all good.

But my biggest issue with this book was how it used HIV as the primary plot device and relied so heavily on the characters (and the audience????) not understanding how HIV works or how it’s contracted. I just could not get over it. It made me deeply uncomfortable.

Anyway, can’t say I’ll ever recommend this to anyone, but I didn’t absolutely hate it, so…

I actually really enjoyed this book! I am very glad this ended up being a book club pick because I probably wouldn't have read this anytime soon otherwise. I'm kinda surprised by how much liked it, it probably wouldn't be something I would normally pick up but it was really dark and twisted and right up my alley! I really enjoyed the tone of the book and the writing. I also liked the alternating POV with the different characters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and read the book in one sitting, it was so fast-paced. I was totally not expecting the twist at the end of the teacher setting the bomb in her mother's lab. It was completely unexpected. I did get tired of hearing the same story from so many different points of view at the end though but that's really my only complaint.
All in all, I think this is a low four star for me. I'm so glad I liked it because I was really skeptical at first.

I absolutely loved this! I love it when thrillers provoke deep discussions, while still being absolute pageturnes -- and this 100% delivered.

The only thing I'm feeling a bit iffy about is the ending.
(Spoiler) From a thriller standpoint I find it awesomely twisted. But I was actually expecting this to be more about how one act of revenge can spiral out of control and hit innocent people, making Moriguchi-sensei feel remorse in the end or something... Instead, she went on a full-on rampage, suddenly not caring whether innocent people get killed in the process. I guess, she was crazy from grief all along, but still... Not my favorite ending, but that's probably mostly due to misguided expectations.

I need to ponder a bit about how to rate this, but I still might give it the full 5 stars -- because reading this was an insanely entertaining but also thought-provoking experience! Such a great pick <3

Venessa wrote: "What a crazy little book! Not sure if it’s a 4 or 5 star for me. Like others have said it did get repetitive towards the end so it was a struggle to finish. Plus about halfway my audiobook check ou..."

You're right about it being a bit repetitive. I mean, we're getting an account of the same events over and over again, just from different viewpoints. But this didn't bother me at all, because I found each viewpoint to be adding so many new layers to the narrative, completely shifting my perspective on things, that I was totally engaged. I also read the physical copy and found the writing in the different viewpoints distinct enough to easily keep them apart. I'm leaning more towards a 5, but I totally get where you're coming from :)

And you really made me wanna read For Your Own Good now -- thanks for the rec :D

Ah, and also: With its uniqueness and it being more a whydunit than a whodunit, this really reminded me of Keigo Higashino's Malice. (Another 5 star for me!) If you enjoyed Confessions, you might wanna check this one out too :)

I'm a little late to the party, but I loved this one! I've never read anything quite like it, which is one of the reasons I'm so taken with it. The audiobook was fantastic, dark and twisted in the best way possible. I listened to the first chapter and was completely captivated and had to seek out the movie. I was planning to just watch the beginning, to match how far I'd read in the book and planned to watch the rest after I finished the book, but I couldn't stop watching. The movie may very well be influencing my review of the book because it was phenomenal as well...so well done. It really contributed to my love for this book.

There were six distinct voices, with each character sharing a confession or helping reveal important information about the central event which produced shocking ramifications. I found the second person point of view compelling as the novel begins with a middle school teacher who is also a grieving and angry mother, talking directly to her class and this style makes the reader have the sense of being one of the 13 year olds sitting in her class, listening to her confession as she reveals her shocking revenge.