Women & Water

I waited quite a while for our National Library to stock the digital format of Clarissa Goenawan's 'Watersong' (2022). Ahhh... it was such a good read. Beyond an innovative plot, I like the author's phrasing and usage of words. When I finished the book, I grinned. Has the author been watching too many Japanese and Korean detective films and television dramas? LOL

Set in Japan, we learnt that as a young boy, Shouji Arai is haunted by dreams about drowning. A fortune teller said he would meet three women with water in their names, of which one could be his soulmate and one could could cause a loved one's death, or his own, by drowning. That would be Youko the girlfriend at the same university, Mizuki the client turned older friend-confidante and Liyun the university swimming club mate from Singapore who has a crush on him.

Shouji was also physically abused by his father, and bore mental trauma till today. His mother had done nothing to stop it. He was told to cover it up at school if people asked about cuts and bruises. There seemed to be dangerous incidents with the criminal underworld that happened in his childhood that he has forgotten.

In adulthood, Shouji Arai needed a job to stay on in Akakawa with his girlfriend Youko Sasaki. He decided to join his girlfriend to work at a highly secretive company that offers extremely exclusive 'listening' services without judgment to all manner of clients who want a listening ear. The caveat, everything these human 'ears' hear can't be repeated outside of the 'therapy table'. Everything is a secret. No questions must be asked, and all company rules to be obeyed without fuss. 

From then on, a series of choices led Shouji's life down different paths. He didn't want to keep quiet about the physical abuse a client suffered under her politician husband, received death threats, had attempts made on his life. There was a fire in the residential building he shared with Youko. The small and quiet town turned dangerous. He had to leave Akakawa in a hurry. Youko went missing too. Both left without saying goodbye to each other. Youko was rumored to be in Tokyo. He goes to look for her in Tokyo. Even as he runs into old schoolmates and got a job as a journalist, he keeps a low profile.

Years passed and Youko remains missing. Youko might have a complicated past that Shouji doesn't know and doesn't want to pry. She has a rather weary view of the world and she knows no human or situation is ever as simple as it seems. Shouji managed to find her, but things aren't what it seems again. 

'Everyone has a hidden side,' Youko said. 'It's like an onion. If you want to learn about a person, you peel off layer after layer. With each layer, you'll shed a tear. But if you peel too much, you'll be left with nothing.'

The ending is a pleasant surprise. Shouji finally remembered the one thing from his childhood that has been eluding him all his life. He repressed the incident and had locked it away for so long that he couldn't quite recall it even. The title is simply a reference to Handel's three Suites of Water Music. Don't forget, this isn't exactly a romance story. There's plenty of romance and love and emotions driving all the characters. But this is also a mystery with plenty of murders and deaths thrown in.