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A review by kelamity_reads
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I really enjoyed this book. The slow place, the way the atmosphere builds to be more and more opressive, and the growing sense of isolation really drew me in.
I purchased this book prior to COVID and I'm glad that I didn't get around to reading it until post-lockdown as I don't think I would have truly believed or personally felt the level of isolation that the characters experienced in the story if I hadn't lived through multiple lockdowns myself.
This story is very much a Japanese horror and thus may not appeal to people who prefer a more Westernised approach to horror. It's much more understated and subtle. If you have watched Japanese horror movies like 'Dark Water' (Honogurai mizu no soko kara) and enjoyed them, then you'll likely enjoy this story, too.
The closest thing to a criticism I can come up with is that there was the occasional awkward word choice that made me pause for a moment but I'm confident that's simply due to the story being translated into English from the original Japanese.
I purchased this book prior to COVID and I'm glad that I didn't get around to reading it until post-lockdown as I don't think I would have truly believed or personally felt the level of isolation that the characters experienced in the story if I hadn't lived through multiple lockdowns myself.
This story is very much a Japanese horror and thus may not appeal to people who prefer a more Westernised approach to horror. It's much more understated and subtle. If you have watched Japanese horror movies like 'Dark Water' (Honogurai mizu no soko kara) and enjoyed them, then you'll likely enjoy this story, too.
The closest thing to a criticism I can come up with is that there was the occasional awkward word choice that made me pause for a moment but I'm confident that's simply due to the story being translated into English from the original Japanese.