• Matsumoto is considered to have written the best Japanese mystery novels of the 20th century.
• A Quiet Place is a good example of his fluidity of style, his social criticism and his psychological portraits.
• Stylistically similar to the magnificently patient films of Ozu, Mizogushi and Kurasawa.
• Less concerned with rapid-fire plot twists than in thoughtfully portraying a couple's life.
• Documents the devastating consequences of loss of face in Japanese companies.