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sakisreads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I was thrilled that the movie starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal was written by a Japanese author and knew I had to give it a go!
I have to say, my silly brain was unsure of who was playing who until the very end 😂
The way in which it was written was very of the time and I could picture Asakusa so startlingly in my mind 👏🏼 I loved that Hideo was human and his responses were imperfect.
I LOVED his parents. I know they were ghosts and all but I felt so warmed by their connection that I almost didn’t want to know that they were ghosts 🙉
I really was NOT expecting Kei to be a ghost too! I thought absolutely nothing of her chest scars 😳 Oops!
4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ Content warnings included below of course!
I have to say, my silly brain was unsure of who was playing who until the very end 😂
The way in which it was written was very of the time and I could picture Asakusa so startlingly in my mind 👏🏼 I loved that Hideo was human and his responses were imperfect.
4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨ Content warnings included below of course!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Suicide, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and Death
georgia59's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Loved this! Japanese fiction. A ghost story. My reading catnip.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Suicide, Body horror, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident and Sexual content
liltakeawaygirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abandonment
e_r_q's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Obviously, it seems unfair to judge this book entirely in relation to its magnificent 2023 film adaptation, All of Us Strangers, by the insanely talented writer/director Andrew Haigh, so first I will review it independently from its adaptation.
Strangers has a great concept, and I really love the surreal Japanese folkloric approach to ghosts. Unfortunately, not much else really impressed me. This could be down to a bad translation, but I found the writing style to be pretty dull. Furthermore, the protagonist is rather arrogant and very difficult to engage with, and his character development honestly came out of nowhere. It does derive some compelling emotion from its ghostly premise, but it never goes deep enough. Also, the plot-twist, although pretty spooky, was very messy and felt like it undercut the emotion of the story.
The added queerness of Haigh's adaptation brings a great deal more profundity to the narrative. It deepens the emotion of almost every aspect of the narrative, particularly the exploration of grief and loneliness, as well as Adam's relationships with his parents and Harry. Changing the protagonist from a jaded straight divorcee to a lonely awkward queer man, somehow magnificently enhances the story. Haigh also brings a great deal more mystery, subtlety, nuance and ambiguity to the narrative, and creates a gut-punch of an ending, that not only doesn't undercut the meaning of the film, but also leaves you with a lot more to ruminate on.
Strangers is a good foundation, and led the way to one of those rare occasions when an adaptation is actually better than the book.
Strangers has a great concept, and I really love the surreal Japanese folkloric approach to ghosts. Unfortunately, not much else really impressed me. This could be down to a bad translation, but I found the writing style to be pretty dull. Furthermore, the protagonist is rather arrogant and very difficult to engage with, and his character development honestly came out of nowhere. It does derive some compelling emotion from its ghostly premise, but it never goes deep enough. Also, the plot-twist, although pretty spooky, was very messy and felt like it undercut the emotion of the story.
The added queerness of Haigh's adaptation brings a great deal more profundity to the narrative. It deepens the emotion of almost every aspect of the narrative, particularly the exploration of grief and loneliness, as well as Adam's relationships with his parents and Harry. Changing the protagonist from a jaded straight divorcee to a lonely awkward queer man, somehow magnificently enhances the story. Haigh also brings a great deal more mystery, subtlety, nuance and ambiguity to the narrative, and creates a gut-punch of an ending, that not only doesn't undercut the meaning of the film, but also leaves you with a lot more to ruminate on.
Strangers is a good foundation, and led the way to one of those rare occasions when an adaptation is actually better than the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicide
Minor: Blood and Body horror
whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual content, Blood, and Body horror
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