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A review by paperbacksandpines
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
4.0
Mariko Koike's The Graveyard Apartment is written in the same style as Japanese horror movie The Ring.
I picked this book up because I was looking for not only a scare but a scare from another culture. I wanted to compare a Japanese take on horror to that of North Americans. It is a different kind horror than most Americans are used to consuming. We like our horror to be fast-paced, heartbeat-skipping, and sleepless night inducing.
This book did not check the first box. It was a slow build, which may be an instant turn off for readers seeking instant gratification. As far as anxiety inducing elements go, that will depend entirely on how easily the reader is spooked. The incidents in which the Kano family, and those of others living in the apartment building, encounter range from creepy to downright terrifying.
I found it really interesting reading and learning about Japanese culture in this book. The husband and wife made a decision that was frowned upon by society, impacting the way they viewed the wife, Misao, especially. It surprised me how the Kano's extended family asked them intimate details about the family's financial health and they weren't strongly rebuffed.
Some of the social customs in the book made me do double takes. In one scene, Teppei and Misao were embracing. When Teppei's brother appeared, they sprang apart, like they had just been caught doing something much more intimate. In another scene, Teppei and his five year old daughter had taken a bath together! I understand that cultures all have their peculiarities that are difficult for others to understand and accept but that scene set off warning bells.
Some readers won't find enough scares or thrills in The Graveyard Apartment. Other readers will find the subtle horrors in this book to be "macabre, disturbing, and distinctly unpleasant." If you're looking for a slow build, this is an entertaining book to read.
I picked this book up because I was looking for not only a scare but a scare from another culture. I wanted to compare a Japanese take on horror to that of North Americans. It is a different kind horror than most Americans are used to consuming. We like our horror to be fast-paced, heartbeat-skipping, and sleepless night inducing.
This book did not check the first box. It was a slow build, which may be an instant turn off for readers seeking instant gratification. As far as anxiety inducing elements go, that will depend entirely on how easily the reader is spooked. The incidents in which the Kano family, and those of others living in the apartment building, encounter range from creepy to downright terrifying.
I found it really interesting reading and learning about Japanese culture in this book. The husband and wife made a decision that was frowned upon by society, impacting the way they viewed the wife, Misao, especially. It surprised me how the Kano's extended family asked them intimate details about the family's financial health and they weren't strongly rebuffed.
Some of the social customs in the book made me do double takes. In one scene, Teppei and Misao were embracing. When Teppei's brother appeared, they sprang apart, like they had just been caught doing something much more intimate. In another scene, Teppei and his five year old daughter had taken a bath together! I understand that cultures all have their peculiarities that are difficult for others to understand and accept but that scene set off warning bells.
Some readers won't find enough scares or thrills in The Graveyard Apartment. Other readers will find the subtle horrors in this book to be "macabre, disturbing, and distinctly unpleasant." If you're looking for a slow build, this is an entertaining book to read.