The Devil's Whisper (1989)

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by Miyuki Miyabe



Sixteen-year-old Mamoru’s uncle is arrested after his taxi kills a young woman under suspicious circumstances, and Mamoru’s effort to clear him uncovers a string of deaths tied to a cruel scam. 



What begins as a family crisis turns into a larger mystery about lonely, insecure people being preyed upon by confidence artists who know exactly which weaknesses to exploit.


"Magic Whispers" (Japanese)


 This novel feels like the premises for four different books awkwardly crammed into one.


"Whispers of Murder" (Thai)


 There is the effort to clear Mamoru’s taxi-driver uncle of vehicular manslaughter, the mystery of the young women’s deaths, the subliminal advertising scheme at the supermarket where Mamoru works, and the question of what really happened to Mamoru’s father. 


"Whispers of Magic" (Chinese)


Together, they make the book feel busy rather than deep. 


"Magic Whispers" (Korean)


The result is somewhat contrived, with revelations arriving less because the story has naturally earned them than because the author has many dots that must be connected. 


"Whisper" (Czech)


The prose does not help, though it is hard to know whether the issue is Miyuki Miyabe’s writing, the translation, or some combination of the two. 


Miyuki Miyabe


There are many awkward turns of phrase that may sound perfectly natural in Japanese but land stiffly in English.


"The Devil Whispered" (French)

"The Devil's Whisper" (Spanish)

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