かがみの孤城（2013 - 2014 / 2017）／辻村深月 "Lonely Castle in the Mirror" (2013 - 2014 / 2017) by Mizuki Tsujimura

The blurb of "Lonely Castle in the Mirror" boasts that Mizuki Tsujimura won nine literary awards for this work, including the 2018 Japan Booksellers' Award. It certainly deserves it. Because it was also made into an anime movie and a manga series, it is very easy to trivialise it and consider it a generic YA fantasy. The language and prose are indeed straightforward, but reading it as an adult adds a great level of complexity to it. The story is about a number of children who avoid school for various reasons. One day, they are invited to a mysterious castle by a masked "Wolf Queen" to participate in a game to look for a special key that will grant the winner a wish, and as with any game, it comes with a set of rules. So mystery and problem-solving are the first layer of the book. As the story progresses, it gets very dark and through the back stories of the children, the author examines bullying, primary and secondary traumas, negligence, sexual abuse, low self-esteem, poverty, isolation, loneliness, grief and death, in very direct terms as well. It makes a great impact not just because of the frank depiction of the children's (and adults') issues, but it also heavily underlines the importance of how people can support each other. During the adventure, these broken children learn to face their inadequacies and fears, to become more confident, to live with and support each other, and to go through adversities, but the most remarkable and heart-warming scene is the one where adults admit, and apologise for, their mistakes to children, to stand by the children and to bluntly confront the other adults who fail these children. Young readers will find the story epic and grown-ups will appreciate how the author emphasises the importance of education, rapport, empathy and sympathy. It is not without its flaws and can be slow at times, but the plot twists and conclusion make it a very satisfying read. Its success and popularity are absolutely justified.