Translation Works
To Japanese
The 2nd Selected Works
TITLE
All She Was Worth
(Kasha)
AUTHOR
Translator
GERMAN / Ralph Degen published
RUSSIAN / Irina Melnikova published
Originally Published by:
Futabasha Publishers (1992)
Shinchosha (1998) (pb)
KEY POINTS
  • A masterpiece that will go down in mystery genre history; nominated for the Naoki Sanjugo Prize for outstanding works of popular literature
SYNOPSIS
Who is that woman? - The mysteries hidden in the appalling life of someone who declared personal bankruptcy
 
Detective Shunsuke Honma was shot in the knee while apprehending a robber and is currently recuperating. One day, a distant relative, young banker Kazuya Kurisaka, comes to visit and consult with him. Kazuya says he has become engaged to an employee of one of his customers named Shoko Sekine but discovered while preparing for the wedding that Shoko has declared personal bankruptcy. Soon after he asked Shoko about this, she had suddenly disappeared. Kazuya has come to ask Shunsuke to look for Shoko.
Shunsuke obtains Shoko's resume from her employer and tries to contact her previous employers, but not one of the companies listed on the resume actually exists. Thinking that something is strange, Shunsuke goes to meet the lawyer who handled Shoko's bankruptcy. The lawyer's description of Shoko is completely different from the description given by her employer. Shunsuke shows the lawyer Shoko's resume, and the lawyer says that the woman in the attached photo is someone other than Shoko Sekine.
Who in the world is the woman who became Kazuya's fiancée? What was her reason for assuming the identity of a total stranger? Where is the real Shoko Sekine? This controversial work portrays such problems as identity theft fraud enabled by loopholes in Japan's family register system, which confirms identities based on documents without reference to photos, and family break-ups stemming from credit card bankruptcies and loans.
 
Genre: Mystery, suspense
 
Awards: 6th Yamamoto Shugoro Prize
(Given for novels and other literary works featuring outstanding narratives)
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