Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse - Otsuichi - Book Review

 

When I was looking for a quick read, I was reminded of Otsuichi for no particular reason. I had enjoyed two of his books. This search led me to this book, and the name of the book gave the vibe that it is going to be a typical Otsuichi read.

The story is about a girl named 'Satsuki' and her friends. Satsuki, a girl from rural Japan, recently died as she fell from a tree. The story proceeds to move ahead through the POV of Satsuki's spirit, who realises it was not a freak accident, but was pushed to death. The story proceeds with the spirit of Satsuki following the perpetrators as they try to dispose the corpse and escape without any trace of the crime leading to them. 

Like my two previous Otsuichi reads, this one also did not disappoint. Right from the first page, it was an engaging read. The POV of spirit was the main hook for me in this story. Many emotions, like rage, jealousy, manipulation, and love, drive the story. There are quite a few logical mistakes. But that can be overlooked with the flow of the story. The handful of characters - Satsuki, her friend, along with her brother, the mothers of the kids, the random policemen, and the old men were all well written. It was interesting to see how easily people can be manipulated. The translator has done a good job in keeping the pace and style of the original story intact and keeping us on the edge till the end. There was no visible violence or gore, but the story did make me uncomfortable in certain parts. Like in 'Goth', the chapters gel with one another very well, making the read quick. 

To sum it up, a quick but exciting read. Readers of the mystery and thriller genres will definitely enjoy the book. I have always been a big fan of Japanese mysteries, and this one is no exception.

Check out my reviews on other Otsuichi books below 

Goth - GOTH

Zoo - ZOO

Strange Pictures - Uketsu - Book Review

                                       

                The name 'Puskin Vertigo' pulled me into this book as I was browsing the shelves at the library. An interesting book cover and an interesting preface made me pick this book as my next read. How did it turn out to be? Let's check out.

                A college student starts checking out a now-defunct blog where a pregnant woman's sketches create a bizarre undertow. There is a child's picture of home, which has a more sinister meaning. Then, we have the sketches made by an artist before he was found murdered. As we read on, we try to unravel the meanings of these strange pictures to get to the bottom of it.

                This is an interesting premise. When I started reading, it seemed so normal and strange. As the story progressed to the next chapter and picture, I was confused by the ambiguity it was creating. I was under the impression that all these stories were standalone ones. But on reading on, I was able to see the connections. Nevertheless, I was hooked from that point, and the suspense was well maintained by Uketsu. Even though the perpetrator was no surprise, it is the backstory and the nature of unravelling that kept me on the edge. The ending of the story was well written - like closing a full circle. As usual, getting familiar with the names took some time. The translator has done a good job of maintaining the story's crux and excitement. The writing was simple enough, and the characters were well-written, even though they were confusing at first.

                In short, an interesting story with a strange start, but it turned out to be a great read. Pushkin Vertigo does another good job bringing such good reads to the forefront. 

The Final Curtain - Keigo Higashino - Book Review

 

                       It has been quite a while since I read Keigo Higashino. My last read was "A Murder in Tokyo," which was an average experience compared to his other books. I had high hopes for this book and decided to make it my last read in the genre for this year.

                    An estranged woman who was working in a bar died a natural death ten years ago. Presently in Tokyo, a lady is found dead due to strangulation in an apartment. In another part of the city, a homeless man was found burned to death. As police dig deep into these murders, they find a connection between the murder of the lady and the death that happened a decade ago. How Inspector Kaga works with the Tokyo Police Department to solve this crime forms the story!

                    This story is more of a police procedural than a mystery thriller. It is evenly paced and diligently follows the investigators as they collect clues and interrogate suspects. There are a lot of twists in this story. Even though we might guess the person correctly, there are still many questions that give us twists. That being said, there are no unnecessary red herrings to throw us off track. What sets Keigo's books apart from other detective books is the emotional connection that we get. There is always an underlying emotion that connects the readers with the happenings. We can say the same here as well. The read which goes on at a normal steady pace takes a deep emotional turn towards the end which tugs at your heart even leaving you in tears. There is a deep father-daughter bond that is so beautifully brought out and kept me rewinding the same even after finishing the read. 

                    The author succeeds in bringing cultural references during the time like an earthquake and how that affected the social and economic structure of the country. There are references to depression, bullying, adoption, empowerment, abuse and neglect. There is an interesting reference to bridges like in his previous book. Twelve bridges for twelve months! Interesting enough! There is a usual difficulty in keeping a tab of the names here as well. There is a character list mentioned at the start. But it was cumbersome shuttling back and forth in the Kindle. There are quite a few characters and some of them including Kaga have a certain depth to them owing to their emotional weight. Last but not least, a great effort by the translator Giles Murray. A neat translation was done without making any compromise to the emotions attached to the book. I have always felt that the translators are not given their due respect. World literature needs translators for us to enjoy those beautiful books.

                    To sum up, a great police procedural that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. Keigo does full justice to his usual writing style.

Murder in the Crooked House - Soji Shimada - Book Review

 

                    It's been quite a while since I took up a Japanese mystery book. What is better than a locked room mystery? 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders' was a good read from Soji Shimada and I wanted to try this book. Plus the name was also interesting.

                   The Ice Floe Mansion sits over a cliff in one of the northernmost parts of Japan. The location is weird and the house itself is a very crooked and confusing structure - slopping floors, strange staircases, creepy masks and human-sized dolls. The owner of the house, Kozaburo Hamamoto and his daughter Eiko invite guests to spend Christmas at the House. The next day, a guest is found murdered inside a locked room within the house. Soon the police investigators from the region are trying to get to the bottom of this amidst the blizzard raging outside the house. Soon another locked room murder happens, and everyone is clueless. Tokyo police enlist the help of Kiyoshi Mitarai, the renewed sleuth. Will he be able to solve the locked room mystery and find the murderer forms the story.

                    First of all, yet another interesting locked room mystery for a master Japanese writer. The story also confines mostly within the house so there is more importance and interactions given to the characters. There was always something happening enough to keep me interested and invested in the plot. The layout map of the house and the rooms where the crimes happened were really helpful. As the name indicates, the house was so confusing that I had to go back and forth on the layout maps every time. Since there were guests allocated to each room, the reading was difficult at times. I had to pause and refer back half the time. The characters were well written and we get to know more details of each character as and when we go reading. The suspense was well maintained and the author was successful in maintaining the sombre mood throughout. I was able to guess the perpetrator midway but my reasoning was different. But the way it was executed could not be guessed at all. Kiyoshi enters the novel way past the halfway mark. But once he entered, the book seemed to catch up the speed. Some might find the slowness till then a bit dull. There may be logical flaws that you may notice here and there. Nevertheless, the book does keep you engaged. The writer has brought the landscape and the Japanese culture very well into the book. And I enjoyed how the whole thing unravelled. When it comes to translations, a big part needs to be played by the translator. Here also, I feel the translator has done full justice to keep us invested in the book. Pushkin Vertigo has been doing a wonderful job bringing out such classics to the front. I have read some amazing books from this publisher.

                    In short, this is a good locked-room mystery that can be a good read for mystery lovers. I have been a fan of Japanese mysteries and this adds one more significant addition to my "Read" list.

The Honjin Murders - Seishi Yokomizo - Book Review

 

                

                Closed room mystery! I think at one time this type of mystery was a favorite among writers and many have tried their hands at this mystery. I have read a handful of them and was never disappointed. This is the first mystery where Detective Kindaichi is introduced, I definitely had to read this.

                The village is abuzz getting ready for the marriage of the son in the Ichiyanagi family. But amidst the activities, there has been an outsider who has been asking questions about the household. On the night after the wedding, the family is aroused by a scream and finds the bride and groom dead. But this happened in a closed building with literally no trace of entry or exit. Just a bloody sword outside in the snow. The bride's uncle being Kindaichi's wellwisher, he sets out to solve the mystery. But will he be able to solve this seemingly impossible crime?

                A big shout out to Pushkin Vertigo again, for their efforts in bringing all these beauties. The same goes for their translators as well. Coming to the story, I liked how the story was told in a third-person perspective. It was told from the perspective of a writer who was penning down the happenings in a book as per his correspondence with the people living in the village, The way the story goes on for some time creating the build-up and stating the facts before Kindaichi gets introduced was good. By the time, he jumps into the action; we have a vague idea of the facts happening. Since this was the first book featuring the detective, I guess the author wrote the back story for Kindaichi in such a way that we have an idea as to why the detective takes this case as a personal interest, and at the same time, there is light shone on his past as well. The writing was very good and the read was fast like Kindaichi's quick observations. There were apparent red herrings as in any mystery novel which were smartly placed. As in most Japanese mysteries, the set of characters being listed in the beginning was useful along with the map provided of the crime scene. This made revisiting the scene easier. The book reflects a lot about the social and economic conditions of Japan in the 1930s - both within a family and within a village. The read was very quick and I was able to finish this within a day and a half. Another interesting thing is that since the book was written from the perspective of a writer; there was a short introduction of similar closed-room mysteries where a lot of books were referenced. This was great data for me to add more books to my ever-growing TBR.

                In short, a quick mystery read. Indeed the first of the Kindaichi series. Mystery lovers will love this Japanese closed-room mystery.

Hell - Yasutaka Tsutsui - Book Review

 

                Even though I have read a few Japanese books, almost all of them were mysteries. The only horror writer, I came across, was Koji Suzuki of the famed Ring series. Last week on my visit to the library, I came across this book and was interested in the book cover. I did not read the blurb and decided to read it impromptu hoping it would be a horror novel.

                The novel follows a few characters and their time in Hell. This is not your normal hell where the devil sits amongst fire pits and punishes you. We come across a set of interesting characters like a yakuza, an actor, a writer, a businessman, an actress, etc. The circumstances of their death and how they react when they pass on to Hell. Hell is a place where just three days can last for ten years on earth. People can read each other's minds and think over their lives. Plus they are devoid of any feelings and emotions. The story talks about the transition of people to hell and how they come to terms with what they did with their lives.

                The book started off well but at last ended up an average read. As I said, it reflects the lives of people and in Hell, they can read each other. The fact that Hell was actually depicted as a place for redemption was something I appreciated. As the characters in the book, we also ponder who determines the criteria for a person to be put in Hell. There are no chapters in the book. This makes the non-linear narration confusing. Characters suddenly change in between paragraphs making me go back and refer to who they actually are. This was very frustrating for me. Nevertheless, the reading was very fast and I could finish it within a day. The translation was pretty decent enough but marred with a couple of spelling mistakes. 

                To sum up, a great concept marred by an average read. A lot of the story takes up with us visiting Hell with almost all the characters. Again, Hell being seen as a place of redemption was a very impressive idea. Those who are looking for a quick sci-fi kind of read can go for a one-time read.

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store - Keigo Higashino - Book Review

 

                The author who kick-started me into reading Japanese books was Keigo Higashino. Japanese mysteries have been the most read by me over the last two years thanks to KH. Recently, I came across this book at the library. Reading the blurb, I noticed that the book was a different genre from his usual crime mysteries. This book looked like a feel-good type of read, was curious enough to try this out.

                Three guys hole up in an old general store while they are making an escape after a recent robbery. When their car stalls, they spend the night at the abandoned store. While holing up inside the store, they come across a letter being dropped into the store asking for advice. But they do not see anyone dropping the letter. Even though they are divided on whether to answer, the trio replies to the letter. The remaining story deals with how the letters are coming to the store, the mystery behind the store, and how people's lives are transformed over the conversation.

                I was impressed by the read. Since all my other reads of Keigo Higashino have been mysteries, this was surprising enough for me. Along the flow of the story, characters are introduced throughout the length of the story. Things were happening throughout and I loved the portions where each interconnected beautifully. There were quite a few characters and stories related to them. All these have been beautifully woven by the writer. I needed clarification initially as I did not expect the non-linear pattern. The same goes for the translators. I may have read some good Japanese mysteries and the reason I am a big fan; is not only due to the authors but also due to the translators. Complete justice was done by the person. The writing was simple enough. Namiya and the piano player stand out for me in this heartwarming tale.

               In short, a wonderfully sweet novel that can always bring a smile, wholesomeness, and a good vibe to anyone who reads the book. I read this book as a breather after a pretty heart-wrenching Tamil novel and this read lifted my mood. There is a Japanese and a Chinese movie based on the book that I will be checking out later. 

The Inugami Curse - Seishi Yokomizo - Book Review

 

                Yet another Japanese mystery. This time it is from one of the best Japanese mystery writers - Seishi Yokomizo. I had read "The Village of Eight Graves" previously which was fairly good. Plus, I really like the blurb of the book.

                The head of the wealthy Inugami clan dies, and his family awaits the will to be read. But once the details are read, little does anyone realize the gruesome murders that start happening. Meanwhile, detective Kindachi is also in the vicinity at the request of a client who is also found dead on the day he arrives. Who is hell-bent on killing the Inugamis? Why was Kindachi drawn in? forms the story.

                A really interesting premise. What I liked in this book is how something or the other keeps on happening in the story. This made the reading very exciting. The book was a very quick and fast read for me. Even though it seemed like Kindachi was present at the same time for some other reason, it was interesting to see how he travels throughout the story just like us. Again a big shout out to the translation and Pushkin Vertigo publication. I really like how even Detective Kindachi was vulnerable and clueless just like the readers. And when the unmasking happened, he was back in his usual self. Literally, each of the characters was a suspect barring the Detective himself. The characters had their own backstories. It was really interesting how the family tree was branched and how the priest of Inugami clans had a great effect on the story. Also, the gay relationship arc even though a small one was interesting provided the time this was written. The cold-bloodedness of the people in the family was really surprising. The beauty of the Nasu area was well brought out through the writings. But towards the end, as in many other books I have read there were moments of slowness. Probably a couple of lesser pages might have helped.

                In short, I really enjoyed the book and this was a real page-turner except maybe towards the end. People familiar with Japanese mysteries and mystery lovers will definitely enjoy this book. I did read that there were one or two movies made based on this but personally have not watched them yet.

To read my reviews of other books by Seishi Yokomizo, please check out the below link

The Village of Eight Graves - Seishi Yokomizo

                

The Tattoo Murder - Akimitsu Takagi - Book Review

 

                Another Japanese translation. I recently came across this in the library, I got to know that the original book was written years ago and the translation was done only recently. Pushkin Vertigo brings a lot of such translated work to the forefront. And seeing this newly arrived at the library, I had to be the first one to lay my hands on the book.

                World War 2 has just ended and Japan is reeling under the damages done by the war, both in the country and the people. This is a time when there are social restrictions. Tattooing is still considered illegal in Japan. Men and women who had their bodies tattooed are looked down upon by people of higher stature. At the Edo Tatoo Society annual meeting, Kinue Nomura displays her body art of the Orochimaru snake tattoo. This was a full-back body art which received much appreciation from the people. Days later, Kinue is found decapitated in a closed room of her house. Her lover tries to uncover the mystery but when the body count rises, he turns to his friend the Boy Detective and together try to unravel the mystery. Is this a crime of passion or are these murders committed by an obsessed tattoo collector?

                First of all, a big shout-out to Pushkin Vertigo. I think they have been bringing out many translated works into English. Some of the Japanese translations that I read recently had been from their publication. Also a special mention to Deborah Boehm for the wonderful translation into English. The book is a locked room mystery. I always love the way things are laid forth for the closed-room mysteries. There is no rush in the story and it does take its time to take us through the whole investigation. The progress does keep us hooked to the book but as the story progresses, it did slow us down towards the end portions. It is not like the happenings drag you. Actually, the story moves at a steady pace but the read might slow us down. The setting of the story is in Tokyo post-World War 2. The story shows how Japan and its people are reeling under the destruction caused by the war - both physically and economically. People had to turn to crime and prostitution just to put food on their plates. The author has done a remarkable job of bringing that era in front of our eyes, Again kudos to the translator.  As in any closed-room mystery, you can find an ample dose of red herrings. There are few main characters and they do stay with us. I did get an idea of who the actual culprit was. But what was amazing, was how the climax unfolded.

                For me, this was a wonderful and quick read. I was able to finish the book in 2 days. But it did slow me for some pages towards the end. This is an awesome read for mystery and thriller fans. I do hope Pushkin Vertigo publication churns out more such books. 

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders - Soji Shimada - Book Review

                Another Japanese mystery!!! And that too an author I have yet to explore. Plus the name contains Zodiac which is one of my favorite movies. So, I had to definitely read this. 

              An artist, Heikichi Umezawa is found dead in his studio adjoining his house. From his room, the police get a detailed note written by him on how he wants to kill all the women in the house and make the perfect god, Azoth. Soon, all the women are found dead exactly as mentioned in the note. The whole of Japan gets obsessed with who committed the crimes. After 43 years, an illustrator Kazumi and a young astrologer Kiyoshi try to uncover the mystery. Will they be able to uncover it after so long?

              A fascinating concept. I really liked the overall premise. Japanese mysteries always try to come up with such storylines. The duo reminds me of Sherlock Holmes and Watson who gets referenced in the book as well. Guess Sherlock served as an inspiration. I did like the chemistry between the two. The read was quite exciting but did tire me out at places. As the conversations got lengthier, I did get bored at 2 or 3 instances. Kiyoshi like Sherlock has his bouts of boredom which did seep into me as well. There were quite a few characters and the investigation was procedural There were some very interesting twists and turns in the book, but solving so old a mystery from the confines of a room did seem far-fetched to me. The translator had done a good job conveying the book in an interesting form. The reference to astronomy gave an eerie feel to the story. The suspense was interesting and unexpected. Leaving aside being far-fetched, the book was a nice read.

              In short, this is a fairly decent read for mystery lovers. For me personally, this is just an average one-time read.

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

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The Village of Eight Graves - Seishi Yokomizo - Book Review

 

                    Yet another Japanese whodunit. Japanese mysteries never cease to impress me and a quick encounter of this book with a mysterious name was sufficient to select this as my next read. That too an author that I had not read. So why not give it a try?

                    The story starts with a brief description of an incident in the village several years ago. A samurai and his troop were cheated by the villagers for money and just before their death, the samurai cursed the village, There was a mass murder that happened a few years after the same and the villagers raised a temple to appease the spirits. The killings stop after the same. Young Tatsuya lives in a city and receives an inheritance in that village connected to his birth. He arrives at the village but death seems to follow him in each of his steps resulting in the deaths of his grandfather, brother, and many more due to poison. People start blaming him for the same and the killings continue in the family. Is he the harbinger of death or is there more than what seems on the outside forms the story?

                    Well! To start with the story is definitely interesting. The storytelling was typical as in many Japanese novels. The flashback at the start did ignite my curiosity. One thing that impressed me in the story was how it kept the mood of the story intact. There was always some sort of twists that kept me engaged throughout. Even though there were only a few characters, the story did give the feel of the entire village being involved. Having said that, the topography of the village in the story provided a perfect backdrop for the story with the author using the entire landscape of the region along with the Japanese culture so effectively. But having said all this, the climax was a real dud for me. There was a detailed explanation which soon followed in the story, but at that moment it was like dousing out the full excitement that was building up till then. Also, since this was a translated work, the translator did do a commendable job keeping the tempo of the story intact.

                    In short, a good and exciting read. Being a fan of Japanese mysteries; I did enjoy this and would really love to follow more of Seishi's works. Whodunit lovers will find this read an interesting one.

A Death in Tokyo - Keigo Higashino - Book Review

 

                    It's been quite a while since I read a Keigo Higashino novel. I have always enjoyed Japanese mystery thrillers notably those by Higashino. Chancing this book during one of my weekly library visits, I had to read the same.

                    During a regular beat at the Nihonbashi Bridge, a constable notices a staggering man who collapses on the bridge near the Kirin statue. Initially thinking it was a drunk man, the constable soon realizes that the person was stabbed and had dropped dead. In a separate incident, a young man gets involved in an accident and goes into a coma. The police find the dead man's purse and briefcase on the man thereby making him a suspect. His girlfriend thinks otherwise! So does Detective Kaga! Is he really the murderer? What was the cause of the person's death? The story deals with Kaga trying to get to the bottom of the mystery.

                    One thing that I like very much about Keigo Higashino is how sets up the whole plot right to the detail of the surroundings. The places where the story happens are always well described in each of his books which I really look forward to during each read. That too the Nihobashi prefecture was well described and I did take a break from the book tp explore the place on Google. The cultural and economic know-how of the country is well put out. Higashino always has this no-nonsense style of writing which I really feel is his forte. You are already into the story the moment the book is opened. The suspense element was well maintained. I did have my own doubts about the perpetrator but the culprit was unpredictable enough. There was ample space given to all the major characters which were a handful. Especially, Yuto and Kaori. Even though I liked the suspense, there was something missing towards the end. A sort of losing steam. And the real reason was a downer for me.

                    In short, Keigo Higashino is in his usual form and has given us a pretty decent read. Even though not on par with his previous works; nevertheless suspense and crime lovers might enjoy the read.

     

Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami - Book Review

 

                    It requires patience for normal readers to sit through the works of certain authors. But once you get the hang of it, it could take you through a wonderful crazy ride. Haruki Murakami is one such writer for me. 'The Windup Bird Chronicle' took me on such a crazy beautiful journey. When I started it was like "What is happening"; but down the lane it gave me a memorable experience. I took this book to read expecting such a crazy journey. But did I get what I expected?

                    'Kafka On the Shore' is based on two different characters - a teenager who goes by the name Tamura Kafka and an old man named Namata. Tamura Kafka runs away from home to escape a prophecy as well as to search for his long-lost mother and sister. Namata on the other hand is a simpleton who suffered an implication during the nuclear blast during world war. He lives on a small pension from the state as well by finding out about lost cats. Both of them encounter different people along their way and finally, they chance upon one another. A mysterious forest, talking cats, odd people, a murder - all are encountered in their journey and both their fates are entwined by destiny as the story progresses towards the end.

                    Like the previous book, this also was a crazy journey for me. It did awe me to the extent of 'The Windup Bird Chronicle'; but it was still an excellent read. A lot of things are covered in his usual magical realism style. The experience that Tamura had at the forest was so good and I took my sweet time re-reading it multiple times. Talking cats, Solitude, Parallel Universe - the Murakami signature style was present all over the book. Having said this, the incest part did irk me. The stories of Tamura and Nakata started at totally different places and arcs and the way they start to converge to a single point was conveyed in a fluid and almost poetic way. Music and Books were recurring characters with Beethoven coming as a metaphor. Many themes like dreams and reality, self-sufficiency, relationships, letting go, etc were talked of in the book. The reading was a bit slow and I did a good amount of time to finish the book; almost a month.

                    In short, a great read which thrilled me and took me on a wonderful journey even confusing me at places. A must-read for magical surrealism fans.

Spiral - Koji Suzuki - Book Review

 

                    Whenever the first book in a series starts connecting with me, I have this immense expectation for the others in the series. The book 'Ring' was a good read and I was lucky enough to find the next part in one of the dark corners of the library shelf. 

                    The story starts with Dr. Ando conducting the autopsy of a friend who died under mysterious circumstances. He was also fighting a personal battle of his own; his son's death at the sea and the divorce that followed. The corpse was that of Dr. Ryuji (who was the cynical professor friend from the book 'Ring'). There seems to be some underlying mystery that Ando is unable to find out. Like in 'Ring' where Asakawa and Ryuji try to uncover the mystery; here Dr. Ando tries to reach to the bottom of the happenings along with his friend Miyashita.

                    This sequel was more along the lines of a medical thriller for me rather than a horror story. It was not as exciting as the 'Ring' which ended as a cliffhanger. Storywise the book was interesting but was tiring as well. The handful of characters does take the story ahead where everything ended in the first book but there was always a sense of something missing. I felt there were many loopholes left open. The ending was not at all up to the mark for me. It was left open but I was not quite held up by it as in 'Ring'. My reading pace was very much affected by the way how draggy it was. The story was good but tended to confuse me many a time. Truly speaking I loved Koji Suzuki's writing style in 'Ring' more than in 'Spiral'.

                    An average book that can be a passable read which works out in bits and pieces. Those who have not read 'Ring' might not enjoy this. But those who have can find a very average read here. 

Ring - Koji Suzuki - Book Review

 

                    This year had been good in terms of my reading of the horror genre. First Exorcist and now Ring. I did not know that these favorite movies of mine were actually adapted from books. And at the library, I was able to find these books in quick succession.

                    The book starts with the death of a school-going girl under mysterious circumstances in Japan. Asakawa, a journalist turns out to be the uncle of the dead girl. The inexplicable death sparks an interest in him and he starts digging deep. The investigation leads him to a mountain resort and a videotape. The mysterious videotape brings death to anyone who watches it within a week unless a copy is made and another person watches the same. Asakawa realizes that the girl died due to this. He tries to get to the bottom of the mystery and also the haunting past of the videotape and mountain resort. Asakawa and his friend, Ryuji watches the video. Does he face a similar fate as he watches the video? Can Asakawa explain the unexplained? Does somebody else chance to watch the video? forms the rest of the chilling story.

                    What I liked about the book is how the author blends horror into a modern style. I felt this more as a psychological thriller and the way the story unfolds gave me edge-of-the-seat thrills. This made it a very quick read for me but kept me totally hooked on the story as the screenplay of any thriller movie. The handful of characters brings out the emotions very well. Asakawa's friend, Ryuji was a different character. He can be headstrong and repulsive at times but practical at the same time. The tense nature of Asakawa was well complemented by Ryuji's level-headedness. The tense atmosphere was well maintained and the author did take me on a virtual tour to many places in Japan. The detailing was very enjoyable. The scenes involving Asakawa's wife and child did give me chills. 

                    One thing I expected while reading the book was a girl coming out of the TV screen which did not happen and I could find many stark differences between the book and the movie. It always fills me with wonder on how the book induces more chill moments than their movie adaptations. As any reader, I loved the book more. I came to know that the book is actually part a trilogy and I will have to try and read all three. In short, a very good read for horror and thriller genre lovers. 

Silent Parade - Keigo Higashino - Book Review

 

                    I have been a big fan of Keigo Higashino. Starting with "Devotion of Suspect X" until my last read "Newcomer", a handful of books that I really enjoyed reading. So why not this, when I saw this on the book stand.

                    In one of the Japanese towns, a popular girl dies under mysterious circumstances. In the course of the investigation, the suspicion falls on a person who was a suspect in a murder that happened years ago. Like back then, this time also the suspect walks free and goes ahead with taunting the families of the victims. The investigation reaches nowhere. But one day, the suspect ends up dead. Many people seem to benefit from his death. How inspector Galileo carries on with the investigation and does he get to the bottom of this forms the story.

                    The pace of the story was as in all his previous works. And the read went pretty fast and exciting most of the time. I love the way he keeps us guessing what just happened and sprinkling the suspicion over most of the characters. Having said that, towards the end it actually slowed down. The climax was a damp squib for me. Some of the characters like the parents and their friends and the boyfriend were pretty interesting and ambiguous enough. But as I said the ending was lackluster for me as the way it was presented did not give me a sense of satisfaction even though the twist was there. The suspect had an air of mystery which was well maintained all through. 

                    In short, a pretty decent read marred by an average ending. Mystery lovers may enjoy this as a one-time read. 

Goth - Otsuichi - Book Review

                     I have a fascination for Japanese writers especially the mystery genre and love exploring Japanese writers and books. After Keigo Higashino and Kanae Minato in previous years; this year I came across a new name 'Otsuichi'. So; why not try it out?!

                    Two high school students - a girl and a boy are obsessed with serial killers. They have a morbid fascination with knowing the mind of serial killers and how the crimes are committed. The girl Morino does not relate to people and she is totally unaware of her surroundings living in her own world. The boy whose name is not disclosed throughout most of the story acts like a normal kid in front of others. But inside, he is twisted and has a fascination for killing and death.  When there is a new serial killer on the loose who is killing girls; they start following the path taken by the killer. They chance upon a journal allegedly maintained by the killer and visit the places of crime to relive the feeling. Likewise, they chance upon many similar cases and research together to know more about the crimes and try to experience the feel as well. What follows becomes the crux of the story?

                    I really liked the concept of the story. The story may be twisted and dark for normal readers, but; having a fascination for such twisted tales, I did enjoy the read. The book looked like a set of incoherent short stories at first. But reading on, we realize that all are cleverly interconnected and not stand-alone. Twists follow each of the stories and they are certain to thrill. The author delves deep into the dark crevices of the human mind through the main characters and how much darkness one's mind can descend to. Inducing the shock factor is another positive of the author. There are people who have a fascination for death and things sinister. There can be different reasons as to why they have such an inclination but in some cases, there are no such reasons. Such people are pure evil. The lead boy character is rather chilling. With these characters, the author is able to bring all these angles into paper. There is ample graphic violence that some people might find hard and disturbing to read through. The story is more on the psychological aspect than thrill which makes it quite an interesting angle. You cannot expect much suspense element in most of them. I had told that the stories are interconnected brilliantly. But there are places that do confuse us; as to where that particular chapter is starting or to whom it is referring to or who is speaking to us. This perspective shift might be a deliberate approach by the writer. The backstories of Minato and the girl with the dog were great backdrops. I loved the way the chapter on the girl and the dog ended and it quite shocked me. I am not quite sure why the writer named the book 'Goth'. Except for the goth dress and makeup, there is no relation between the book and the title. The author also mentions this in the afterword of the book.

                    For people who like to read stories that seep into the psychological factor rather than the normal thrill, this is a good book. But definitely not for those who can't digest violence.

Salvation of a Saint - Keigo Higashino - Book Review

        In the last two years, I have enjoyed reading so many Japanese mysteries; thanks to Keigo Higashino and Kanae Minato. 'Salvation of a Saint' has been my choice in my to-read list for 2020 and I got the library copy just around two weeks back and so I jumped right into it.
A successful CEO of a company is found dead at his home. Amidst discussions whether the same is a suicide or murder; the suspicion falls on the wife, Ayane. But the wife was thousands of miles away during the time of the crime with a rock solid alibi. The inspector Kusanagi heads the investigation trying to find a logical explanation for all that happened but finds himself drawn to Ayane. One of the co-investigators who strongly believes that Ayane did commit the crime asks for help from the professor (an old friend of Kusanagi) for help and advice. How the investigation moves forward with the two lead investigators who has two separate set of theories and how the professor is able to help out forms the story.
The book came after 'Devotion of Suspect X' and I guess that would have made a great expectation of this book at that time. I think the book was pretty good. But i was really tempted to think of the other book in between and expected surprises to pop in as in the 'Suspect X'. I really like the writing style of this book where the investigators have two theories. We have a suspect in our mind and the discussion between them really kept me more interested and tried to sway my opinion on the suspect. At a juncture, where we would lock down on a person; there pops up a theory which poses questions on our suspicion. Once the professor fits into the story, it is like a third person analyzing both the theories and coming up with a proper explanation. This was a really clever move by the writer. The characters were well written and detailed. This was more of a howdunit than a whodunit. I guess some time into the book; we would have an idea of the killer. But the real question throughout the book was how it was possible! One important aspect that I like in Keigo's books are that the perpetrators of the crime are intelligently written which helps eventually in escalating the wow factor of the crime. And as usual a typical Japanese thriller and I am able to learn a lot of the Japanese culture and their ways thanks to Keigo and Kanae. I did have some small questions/doubts like why there was a mention of the powder in the prologue as we were not sure of the timeline there.
I have skipped this book many a times but am happy that I have finally read it. A real good page turner from the Japanese master of suspense. If you really enjoy crime thrillers, I recommend you to have a go at this book and you will not be disappointed. And yes, I will be exploring and delving more and more into Japanese crime thrillers.

Penance - Kanae Minato - Book Review

Again; yet another Japanese novel for the year. Confessions impressed me so much and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie version of it as well. So, i jumped at Penance with the same vigor. The way in which Confessions was written made Kanae Minato a favorite pf mine in her first book itself.

The book like 'Confessions' starts with the POV of a girl in the form of letter to the mother of a girl who was killed during her childhood. She and 3 other girls were present at the time with her when the girl was abducted, raped and killed. The mother of the victim curses them vowing they will pay for her killing. If the killer is not caught before the statue of limitations is expired on the murder, the girls have to write a confession or perform an act of penance. The girls were too young and in different mental states to accurately describe the incident. The girls are scarred for life because of the incident and the story proceeds in the point of view of the girls and that of the victim's mother trying to reach out to the girls after so long.

One good aspect was the approach of the story which was different from the usual crime genres. The premise looks good on paper. But i felt there was a sort of falter in the delivery. One big mistake that i had committed was comparing it with 'Confessions' in each and every step. The story promises nice tension and grip but it also seemed like a confession or just pouring out your heart sort of style in narration. This I think hindered the natural flow of the story. It makes us feel why they are still thinking about the curse put on by the mother. I mean; it's bad that they couldn't do anything about the crime and the investigation and the incident keeps haunting them all the way. But damaging their life based just on the mother's words so much seemed pointless. All the girls had their own flaws and the characters were written rather cleverly pointing out their personal demons and how the girls took it in their lives. As in 'Confessions', there were limited characters. The victim's mother character arc was sort of ambiguous making us think on how effective the character was. The crime gets solved at the end but we forget that this is a crime story often in the course of the story.

As in 'Confessions', here also Kanae Minato delves deep into the human mind and emotions. This is definitely a different read but not sure how much it will impress the readers. Nevertheless, an interesting read indeed!

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