When Emi Tsukijima is attacked by a serial killer and
survives, her whole life as a successful business woman is disrupted. The
trauma consumes her, fear makes it nearly impossible to do her job and, below
that is the terrible knowledge that humans are not alone. That there’s
something dark and terrible on the streets that hunts them
After that, the emotional impact of knowing her presumed
dead ex-boyfriend is hunting them is just an extra blow to her fragile
realisation.
The emotional journey of Emi in this book is incredible
and powerful – and excellently balanced
She begins as a very normal woman with very mundane
problems. Her job, her love life and her romantic plans being dashed rather
terribly
Then the supernatural hits and we get the devastating
impact of her victimisation, her desperate fight for her life and being thrust
into a world she doesn’t understand, facing monsters she never knew existed and
trying desperately to hold her world together. She is damaged, she is hurt, she
is afraid and she cannot return to normality
She has the excellent emotional impact of discovering and old lover is a hunter and the incredible pain that was caused by him leaving her life and his family’s life. It’s an extremely heartbreaking scene as she describes the pain he has caused.
But from that we also see Emi progress, find her
strength, find her determination, her honour, her courage. We see her fight and
sacrifice because she simply can’t expect less of herself. She cannot stand to
be the person she would be if she didn’t. We definitely see her rise up from
the ashes to an extent that impresses even the monsters
Her emotional journey is one of the best I’ve ever seen
Ok so everything I’ve written up there is practically
screaming “but”. So let’s hit that but.
