As per usual, I feel conflicted about this novel. While the majority of it was quite good and I thoroughly enjoyed the style, the end left me very disappointed. Also, I'm not sure if it was the translation style or also written as such in Japanese, but I felt that often the words were weak and poorly chosen. The strength of the plot distracts you from that after a while, however. It's really a driven story. 
 I especially found the way that Kirino switched between characters quite tasteful. She did it so artfully that it wasn't annoying nor did the scenes overlap repetitively, until the very final scene that is. Looking back, it almost feels like a dance now. 
 I felt that throughout the majority of the book Satake and Masako were the strongest characters. I was heavily disappointed by their actions at the conclusion. (view spoiler)[First of all, I could understand how Masako felt scared, angry, and even pitied Satake. However, her feelings shifted to affection and longing and I definitely couldn't understand that at all. It actually made me incredibly frustrated, because Kirino leads us to believe that Masako is incredibly strong and independent, yet she suddenly turns submissive and needy for a man who raped and attempted to murder her? I realize the "connection" was their vileness, but it didn't add up to me. Satake's end was more believable, but it's silly how one slice to the cheek made him want to curl up and die... I can understand how his passion to kill Masako faded, but it was quite pathetic to say the least. 
 I felt the end could have potentially been better by Satake murdering Masako and going on with his crazed ways or something. (hide spoiler)] Whatever the case, the conclusion just felt very weak in comparison to the 400 pages of buildup. Still a good book though for its journey.