★ A 30th‑anniversary work by Keigo Higashino! Ranked #2 in Japan’s 2018 bunkoban annual sales (548,000 copies). The hardcover sold over 270,000 copies in its first month.
★ “Am I the one who killed my daughter?” A mother’s extreme devotion pushes the boundaries of life ethics – brain death, organ donation. A controversial, thought‑provoking masterpiece.
★ Film adaptation starring Ryoko Shinohara won the Best Actress award at the 42nd Japan Academy Film Prize and was an official selection of the 31st Tokyo International Film Festival. The film grossed approx. 1 billion yen in Japan, with 113,000 attendees on its opening weekend.
★ Higashino’s works have been published in 37 countries/regions, with overseas sales exceeding 68 million copies – a testament to his global influence.
★ When cold medical definitions meet a mother’s burning love, this book offers a unique, emotionally charged reading experience.
★ Rights sold: Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, Thai. More languages available upon request.

Kazumasa and Kaoruko, separated due to his affair, plan to divorce after their daughter Mizuho passes an elite elementary school entrance exam. On the day of a mock interview, Mizuho goes swimming with her grandmother and aunts. Her finger gets caught in a pool drain, and she drowns.

At the hospital, they learn Mizuho is brain‑dead. The doctor asks whether they want to donate her organs. Initially they agree, but at the last moment Kaoruko sees Mizuho’s finger move.

Kaoruko refuses organ donation. With family help, she continues caring for Mizuho, whose heart still beats. Kazumasa, who runs an IT device manufacturer, has an artificial intelligence breathing control system implanted in Mizuho. Later, with employee assistance, they use electrical signals to move her limbs and maintain muscle mass.

Mizuho’s condition stabilizes; she grows as if asleep. But some people are repulsed by her movements, and the prejudice spreads to her younger brother Ikuto. Even the family, who had long suppressed doubts out of concern for Kaoruko, begin to wonder if recovery is impossible. Then Mizuho’s condition suddenly worsens…

Keigo Higashino
Born in Osaka in 1958. Graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Prefecture University. Made his debut in 1985 by winning the 31st Edogawa Rampo Prize for “After School.” Won the 52nd Mystery Writers of Japan Award for “Naoko” (1999); the 134th Naoki Prize and 6th Honkaku Mystery Award for “The Devotion of Suspect X” (2006); the 7th Chuo Koron Prize for Literature for “Miracles of the Namiya General Store” (2012); the 26th Shibata Renzaburo Prize for “Fantasia” (2013); the 48th Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for Literature for “When the Prayer Curtain Falls” (2014); the 1st Noma Publishing Culture Award (2019); and the 70th Kikuchi Kan Prize (2023). In recognition of his numerous outstanding works, he was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2023. He has written many bestselling novels.