James Ellroy, the great American English crime writer, loves this book. I did too. The tempo is strange, and vaguely Japanese, and I loved it. The tempo of the writing is probably partly the result of the translator, though it has something to do with Japan and its culture, also. The Japanese language is different from our English, for instance. Things are lost in translation.
It's a crime thriller. It has violence, sex, and murder. I hope that isn't a spoiler?
It's a psychological thriller and murder mystery crime novel, all-in-one. I suggest you read it. Read it cover-to-cover. I bet you'll love it. I was never really sure what was going to happen, until the very end, the denouement , as it were, concluded it. I suggest you read this is you value James Ellroy's opinion. Mine might be right, it's in agreement with crime writer James Ellroy.