Freezing Point is a translation of Hyoten, Ayako Miura's award-winning debut novel, which is a classic in Japan. It has been dramatized six times (including both feature-length film and TV productions) since 1964, most recently as a television special in November 2006. Miura herself says that the "freezing point" of the title refers to the sin nature that is inherent in all human hearts. It is the story of one man's revenge on his wife, and how his twisted scheme ruins his own happiness along with everyone else involved. I would describe the theme of the book as "Forgiveness," from at least two perspectives. One is the difficulty of forgiving others when they have wronged you. Another is the soul's desperate longing to find authoritative forgiveness for its own sins. Dawn Press's English version doesn't come close to doing justice to the original book, but the story itself is powerful enough to survive the awkward translation.