IDOL, BURNING by Rin Usami; trans. by Asa Yoneda

he introduce the correspondence into evidence? He keeps the courtroom on tenterhooks. Alice is deeply sympathetic as she receives and rejects repeated offers of cash to settle the case and go away; she simply wants her marriage back. Opposing attorneys smear her entire family with racist insults. Davis is the primary narrator, and he is masterful in building suspense as opposing sides brutalize each other. Davis makes it known that he is a renowned trial attorney; and he is a great storyteller as well, though he—or the author—suffers from a touch of logorrhea as he drives home essential points. Still, the story flows well.

Usami, Rin Trans. by Asa Yoneda HarperVia (128 pp.) $24.99 | Nov. 15, 2022 978-0-06-321328-9

An accusation against her favorite J-pop idol upends an unstable teen’s world. Akari, a high school junior in Japan, wakes up one morning to the dreadful rumor that Masaki Ueno has assaulted a female fan. She is devastated: To her, Masaki is not simply a member of the popular group Maza Maza, he is her oshi, in whom she finds meaning and around whom she organizes her life. Akari has always had difficulty with her schoolwork, her family situation is tense, and she gets easily overwhelmed by the responsibilities of her job at a restaurant. When it comes to Masaki, however, she is dedicated and organized: She copies down every word he utters