Zoo - Otsuichi - Book Review

 

                    Among the Japanese mysteries that I explored in the last two years, one book I found extremely interesting and twisted was 'Goth'. The book was crazy and impressive, but I did not try to explore more of his works. That was until I came across this book as a Kindle ebook. I did not miss any time going ahead with the book to see if the writer could impress me this time as well.

                 "Zoo" is a mixture of bizarre stories. A man who receives photos daily of his girlfriend who got kidnapped, a person who lives in a house made of skin which was taken from the people who were killed, a brother and sister duo who is kidnapped and locked in a steel room and they have only seven days to live, a robot trying to find out what human feelings are, a boy living with his mum and dad where in he can see both of them, but the parents cant see each other and a bunch of other stories make up this book.

                Unlike 'Goth', where all the stories are interrelated as the stories progress, here the stories are standalone. I really like how Otsuichi can bring about some extraordinarily twisted stories and present it effectively. I would not say that all the stories involve ghosts or are of horror or slasher types. But he is very good at bringing out the right emotions and keeps us on the edge of our seats. What provoked me to search for his books is the genre itself, Not an out-and-out horror or slasher type. But I will call it sort of dark goth. A special mention to the translator as well who rightly brings around the story's tone to evoke the exact feelings. In terms of imagination. I would compare him with Murakami but in a dark and twisted way. My personal favourite was about the boy who lives with his mum and dad but the parents don't see each other and about the person living in a house of skin. Both were brilliantly creepy. There were places where I felt I could take a break while reading one or two of the stories, but nevertheless, I was able to complete the book without delays.

              This book is a good read for horror and goth lovers. An impressive read for me and keeps me ever wanting to gobble down more Japanese mysteries and horror books.

For reviews of other books by Otsuichi

Goth by Otsuichi - Goth - Otsuichi - BookReview