jaspersandwich 's review for:

Revenge by Yōko Ogawa
4.0

My second Ogawa after the chilly The Diving Pool. It's difficult to decide if this is 'Eleven Dark Tales' as the subtitle tells us or eleven chapters of a sprawling nightmarish novella. Either way, this far surpasses The Diving Pool in ambition, scope, and calm creepiness. Her voice is understated, powerful, and clinically gruesome. Compulsive as scratching an itch till it bleeds. And just as transgressively pleasurable.

'"I'm buying [strawberry shortcake] for my son. Today is his birthday."
"Really? Well, I hope it's a happy one. How old is he?"
"Six. He'll always be six. He's dead."