Wow, I loved this book. I think it might be one of my favorites I've read this year. Let's be clear - this book is not what it is marketed as. It is not a thriller, nor is it a murder mystery. It is a slow-moving story that takes a deep, critical look at what it means to be a woman in modern Japan by following Rika Machido, a investigative journalist, as she begins to cover a story on Manako Kaiji, a high-profile female serial killer. Fundamentally, this book is more about Machido's musings about her place in society than it is about the murder of Kaiji's victims. Is the right way for her to live as a woman to work herself to death, trying to emulate the men in her office who continually push the glass ceiling down upon her? Or should she be like her best friend Reiko and abandon her career to focus on being a family and a home-maker? Or should she be like Kaiji, who boldly pursues whatever she wants whenever she wants it and doesn't seem to care what anyone else thinks? I can see how those expecting a thriller would be totally disappointed by this. I'm not the biggest fan of thrillers to begin with, so I wasn't particularly let down. I found the main female characters to be so fascinating I couldn't book this book down. More thoughts of my thoughts with some light spoilers below: Throughout her investigation of Kaiji, Machido wrestles with figuring out the truth about the murders just as much as she wrestles with what the true responsibility and role of women in society is. Trying to determine for herself, "what a good amount is" in her own words. Kaiji rejects so many of the foundational rules for women in Japanese society, which is hilarious considering that Kaiji herself is a huge misogynist and anti-feminist. For example, Japanese women are expected to remain thin and appear delicate. By contrast, Kaiji is a fat woman who relishes in eating delicious food who has high expectations and demands of her potential suitors. The public seems to focus less on her being accused of murder, and more on the audacity of a fat woman to be content with her appearance and expect to be treated well by her partners. Throughout the novel, as Machido begins to learn more about cuisine through her discussions with Kaiji and discovers her own love of food, she too is endlessly harassed by those around her for gaining weight. The fact that Machido and Kaiji were subject to so much vitriol for gaining weight, yet were simultaneously more attractive to male characters after their weight gain was disgustingly fascinating to me. Another expectation of women Kaiji subverts is the role of woman as caretaker. Kaiji, Machido and her mother, Reiko all wrestle with the expectation of women to take care of the men in their life, almost in a maternal way. For Kaiji, this is the source of her power over the men who support her. For Machido and her mother, this is the guilt that follows them after Machido's mother divorces her father and his life begins to unravel. For Reiko, this is the way in which she loves and attempts to control her husband. Coming from a family where traditional gender roles are the norm, I have seen this dynamic play out over and over again. I couldn't help but cry alongside Machido as she is equal parts angry and sad because of her father's decline in health. While on one hand she feels strongly that her father was responsible for his own health, she still feels guilty for not taking care of him and this guilt is impressed upon her by others in her life By contrast, Kaiji is unapologetic about abandoning the men under her care when she's done with them. She completely withdraws her love, her care, and her food, and these older, somehow helpless men seem to die as a result. Kaiji feels no guilt for this. I am endlessly fascinated by the dynamics between Reiko, Kaiji, and Machido. They are beautiful, complicated, and a little bit twisted. I definitely want to re-read it. My only issue with this story is that Machido and Reiko don't confess their love for each other and leave their loser boyfriends behind to go enjoy themselves in that nice three-bedroom house.

Wow, I don't think I've ever gotten through an audiobook of this length this quickly. Even after engaging with PRK's writing for a solid 18 hours of my life, I find myself dying to know more. This book, which tells the story of the opioid crisis through the lens of the Sackler family, is perfect for a modern reader who is already aware of their role peddling OxyContin. Going into this book, I already knew that the family was implicated in the death of thousands of Americans through starting the opioid crisis, but I wasn't sure exactly how. Furthermore, living in Boston, so close to the many prestigious institutions the Sacklers donated to, it isn't uncommon for me to stumble across a building that still proudly displays their name. I thoroughly enjoyed the level of depth PRK goes into in this book and his narration on the audiobook is excellent. It was fascinating to not only follow along as the Sacklers took the steps that would ultimately snowball into the opioid crisis, but get a view into their minds as they did so. What PRK's book reveals so clearly is that there was not an ounce of remorse or acknowledgement of wrong doing by any of the Sacklers, across three generations (nearly a century!), ever. Going into this book, I had assumed, incorrectly, that the trials surrouding the Sacklers involvement were already done and this book would simply be a re-telling. But as I neared the books end, I was shocked to hear that much of the litigation was still ongoing even as recently as 2021 when the book was published. After reading the book, I followed up on the case and saw that it was ruled on by the Supreme Court this summer in 2024! In a 5-4 decision, the justices shot down the Sacklers' settlement, which included a hefty payment, some 6 billion dollars, for managing the opoid crisis, but also prevented the Sacklers from ever being sued again for their involvement in Purdue Pharma. I am so curious to see how this develops as the Sacklers have to go back into bankruptcy court and work out the details again. I hope PRK will write an update from his view, whether in the form of an article or an updated afterword to the book, because I am so curious as to what's going on behind the scenes. Furthermore, as someone working close to the pharma industry, this book has given me a lot to ponder about the inherent maligned incentives in the industry. I have been musing about what sorts of policies or other measures can be taken to prevent such blatant and horrible corruption from ever happening again. The opioid crisis is a huge failure of the institutions that many Americans used to trust, like the FDA. I am excited to read more about this subject soon!

Larson's Devil in the White City weaves together two stories: that of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and of prolific serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes. I was surprised to find while reading I vastly preferred the former! Though I was intrigued by Holmes (more so by how a sociopathic killer was unimaginable to the people of 1890s), I was much more interested in the World's Fair and kind of found myself wishing the story focused exclusively on that. Some might find Larson's writing to be overly flowery and detailed, but I thoroughly enjoyed the tangents he took the reader on. To me, it felt immersive. It was very fun to imagine living in a time over a hundred years ago when things that are so common today - electric lights, ferris wheels, skyscrapers - were cutting edge innovations. There was a certain charm and vigor to 1890s Chicago that I found thrilling and inspiring. After reading this book, I spent way too long browsing at photos of the exposition. It was just as beautiful as it was described in the book. I totally understand all the claims of reverie and wonder Larson described in his book. I wish I could've gone!