先を知りたくて，ページをめくる手が止まらなくなる。そんな本に出会いました。薬丸岳さんの「天使のナイフ」です。２００５年に出版されたこの本は，江戸川乱歩賞の受賞作です。
I read a book that I can call it a page-turner. The book is “Angel’s Knife” by Yakumaru Gaku. This book which was published in 2005 won the Edogawa Rampo Prize.
大手フランチャイズ・カフェの１軒で店長を務める桧山貴志は，娘と２人暮らしをしています。妻の祥子は，４年ほど前に，ある事件に巻き込まれて亡くなっているのでした。金銭目的で押し入った３人の少年に，ナイフで刺殺されてしまったのです。少年たちの身柄は確保されたものの，１４歳未満の彼らは，刑事責任を問われぬまま保護され，桧山には彼らの身元も，動機さえも知らされることはなかったのでした。あまりにも理不尽な現実を目の当たりにし，４年を経た今でも，妻を失った悲しみと怒りにやりきれぬ思いでいる彼のもとにある日，妻の事件を担当していた刑事が訪ねてきます。桧山のカフェに程近い公園で，一人の少年が殺されたというのです。その少年が，妻の命を奪った３人の一人であると知らされた桧山は，刑事の訪問理由を知るとともに，少年が殺された時間に，自分のアリバイがないことに気付くのですが……。
Hiyama Takashi, who is a manager of a franchise café, lives alone with his daughter. His wife Shoko has died since about four years ago falling victim to a crime. She was stubbed to death with knives by three boys who broke into Hiyama’s place to steal money. They were arrested but they were under 14 so they were put under the probation officials without taking any responsibility for the crime, while Hiyama was left without any information about who they were or even their motive of the crime. Facing to irrational reality, he has been frustrated with sorrow because of the loss of his wife and pent-up anger even after all these four years. One day, a detective who was in charge of the case visits Hiyama’s café. What the detective tells him was that a boy has been killed in a park which is close to his café. The detective also tells him that the boy was one of three who killed his wife so Hiyama knows the reason why the detective came, then he notices he doesn’t have an alibi for the time when the boy was killed…….
少年犯罪の扱いの難しさというものを実感しました。罪とは，裁くとは，償うとは，そして更生するとは何なのか，この本は読者に重い問いを突き付けてきます。その上に重ねて問いかけられるのは，被害者遺族の人権問題です。本当に守られるべきものは何か，最後まで考えさせられました。結末についての感想は様々だと思います。そこに至るエキサイティングな展開だけで，十分に読み応えのある本です。
I realized how difficult to handle juvenile delinquency. This book asks readers some serious questions about the meaning of such things as committing sins, judging a person, atoning one’s sins, and retrieving oneself. On top of that, this book also asks another question about human rights of the family of crime victims. This book never stops asking about what should be protected is until the ending of the story. I guess the ending could be somewhat controversial. However, it is really worth reading with the exciting development in the story.
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