Scott deftly exposes how life-limiting even the most well-intentioned lies can be, especially for women in a society that remains as patriarchal as Japan’s ... For the outsider, What’s Left of Me Is Yours is an extraordinary window onto a culture ... The novel’s documentary feel is further enhanced by the way Scott punctuates her narrative with 'official' documents—an autopsy report, an incident report, a crime-scene report and witness statements. This clinical effect is offset by the sensual sweep of Rina’s budding romance with Kaitaro, the 'wakaresaseya' who falls in love in spite of himself ... Each chapter of this enrapturing novel is elegantly brief and charged with barely contained emotion. Yet Scott’s subject remains vast: the idea that the law itself does not protect the innocent, and 'that what matters most is knowledge—of ourselves and others.'
... a simmering tale of passion and murder ... The seemingly complicated structure works: events in the past are clearly differentiated and Sumiko’s reactions to them are heightened by the first-person viewpoint. It also allows Stephanie Scott to mix a tender, literary love story with a meticulously researched police procedural...The result is seamless, although perhaps not as twisty as average detective fiction. But the more literary parts of the story more than compensate. Scott has a talent for descriptive writing and the ability to convey large ideas in a brief sentence ... There is plenty to learn from this book about Japanese society, legal process, photography and even geography. Scott is also keen to show how events of the past can have long-lasting effects on the present. The strongest theme to emerge however is that of the perils of living your life as others wish ... a strong message of hope and self-realization from an unusually intelligent whodunnit.
...[an] impressive first novel ... a finely written case history of a crime of passion—not only a 'why-dunnit' but a 'what really happened?' ... A metaphoric lyricism ripples through this chronicle of an unknown past recovered only in part. 'This story of ours has so many sides that I doubt I will ever know the full extent of it,' Sumiko thinks. Also in question for Sumiko is her own future: What will she do with what she has managed to discover? Ms. Scott answers her compelling book’s questions with the skill of a master.
... a mesmerizing novel ... The reader gets an immersive tour of Japan — not just sites like Tokyo, Mt. Fuji and Sapporo but also the country’s legal system, which made Rina’s problems worse.
... Scott’s book, which opens as a crime drama before elegantly turning into a love story, is generous in its attempts to excavate the humanity in a pretty grim premise. The storytelling shifts smoothly back and forth ... There is a niggling sense that Scott is so busy making sure the he-loved-her-yet-he-killed-her premise is convincing that she overlooks how unforgivable such violence is. That’s not to say there aren’t some very grim moments, but I found myself pulling away from the amount we’re expected to invest in Kaitaro and his love. There’s no real psychological exploration of where the final act of violence came from; rather, he’s portrayed as a good guy who messed up ... Scott spent many years researching the novel in Japan and it shows: she weaves in explanations of the legal system in a way that’s genuinely fascinating, although an earlier, more in-depth clarification of Japanese custody battles might have helped establish why the stakes are so high for all the characters. And the world she creates in What’s Left of Me Is Yours feels very sure under foot: deeply researched, but delicately described. Scott gives a clear sense of place and time, from contemporary Tokyo to evocations of seaside holiday cabins and shrines in forests ... I’m sure many readers will find the elegiac tone touching; I found it slipped into sentimentality. The narrative voice feels somewhat staid and old-fashioned, especially for a young writer’s debut ... Scott is more assured when it comes to structure: she braids her different characters’ timelines together with sophistication, her storytelling harmoniously well-constructed. The big questions over whether it’s better to lie or to tell a difficult truth, and what might constitute a betrayal, are layered across generations and decades and there is strength in the subtlety with which Scott slowly unpacks them.
... moody, leisurely paced ... Alternating primarily between Rina and Sumiko’s points of view, Scott poignantly evokes both a mother trapped by the choices made for her and a daughter learning to deal with her own precarious freedom. She clearly defines the unfortunate effects of the traditional Japanese legal system on women, and with carefully accumulated details describes a Japan both physically and psychologically teetering on the edge of change.
... intense ... Scott rolls out the rest of the story adroitly, scrupulously reconstructing Sumiko’s parents’ past through case files and videotapes ... The novel becomes exhilarating as Sumiko narrows her pursuit for the truth, interspersed with wistful chapters recounting Sumiko’s poignant memories of having two parents before she was adopted by her maternal grandfather. As Sumiko works to resolve the mystery of her mother’s murder, sifting through the facts brings her closer to understanding the blurred line that exists between love and hate. Byzantine subplots, distinctive characters, and atmospheric settings will leave readers spellbound.
The book proceeds slowly, lingering on enjoyable details of Japanese landscape and food but perhaps not adding enough new information to maintain the level of interest set by the sensational details in the first pages ... An unusual and stylish story of love and murder—less a mystery than a study of emotions and cultural mores.
