Misalignment

Author: Hayashi Mariko
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Chigiri () is a dual-volume work created by Hayashi Mariko in 2000, focusing on the emotional confusion of modern urban men and women. It is considered a sister piece to the best-selling Aoi (). Nicknamed "the male version of Aokana ()." The work exhibits distinct artistic characteristics, employing a deductive narrative style with suspenseful twists, intricate foreshadowing, and a convoluted plot. The relationships are complex, and the protagonist, Hongo, becomes increasingly entangled in a quagmire and faces a predicament. The novel portrays the barriers between people in modern capitalist society, intense selfish desires, and moral deficiencies, critically analyzing the ugliness hidden deep within the human heart, with a strong realist flavor. The story follows the emotional journey of Hongo, a male protagonist working at an international corporation, interspersed with descriptions of his three unsuccessful marriages. The narrative begins on a particularly frustrating day for the protagonist: he is mocked at a subordinate's wedding, his wife, Fumiko, is busy with her career and not at home, causing him great dissatisfaction; receiving a phone call accusing her of infidelity leaves him uneasy; his daughter from his first marriage also worries him, and with increasing workplace competition and declining career prospects, he is overwhelmed and spirals into confusion. During his suspicion of his second wife's infidelity, he indulges in interactions with a female employee and ignites a passionate flame with Mika, the young niece of his ex-wife. As he continues to drift further off course, he discovers that his suspicions about his second wife were entirely baseless, and when his beloved is taken advantage of, it is too late to turn back. In sheer desperation, he accepts a third marriage with Mika.