失われた自己を求めて : 東野圭吾の推理小説と禁断の科学

There are several rules in crime fiction that authors should be followed. Ronald Knox (1888-1957), an English author who suggested 20 rules for crime fiction, argued that the authors of crime fiction should not describe the crimes using advanced science and technology that are beyond reader’s comprehension. He added that there should not be no romance element in crime fiction. Moreover, he insisted that crimes could not be committed by a political party, and crime fiction authors should make every effort to describe using the limited description to show the characters.
Conversely, Keigo Higashino (b. 1958), one of the most popular authors of crime fiction in Japan pursues for a new form of crime fiction by breaking these rules. In his works, the author tries to show the characters related to the case may engage in self-exploration in the process, asking ‘Who am I?’. Therein lies the human challenges and conflicts with science and technology, as well as the shadowy political organizations that manipulate them.
I focus on several characters in Higashino’s works, in this essay, especially instances where the crime is perpetrated by a scientist. Moreover, I show character’s identities who seek their lost selves through the resolution of the questions, ‘Who has done the crime?’ and ‘Why has he/she done the crime?’.