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A review by pangnaolin
Revenge by Yōko Ogawa
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Honestly, Revenge was nothing like I was expecting. I went into it assuming I'd get 11 basic yet fun horror stories, and hear a lot about murders and murderers, and I suppose I did get the second part of that, but this was anything but basic.
It started out with a couple stories that were honestly sort of lackluster and confusing, but still odd and mildly intriguing-- and ironically were referred to later on as the stories of a woman who wasn't a very impressive writer. Slowly, I got the picture and realized that this was going to be a maze of a collection.
Every piece was a bit unsettling and weird, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement whenever I put together how the new one tied to other ones. I remember thinking throughout that this book must've taken so much planning. I can almost see the bulletin board with red string tying different concepts and characters together.
There's not much I can talk about without spoiling huge ideas, honestly-- it all tied together so perfectly, and every moment felt important and well-used by Ogawa. I sort of wonder what it'd be like had I read them in a different order. I could go back and do that, and probably will, but it still won't quite be the same. I hope someone reads this and takes initiative to read them out of order. Let me know how it goes, if you do.
Her style blended so many beautiful sensations for me. I loved the sense of uneasiness, and it reminded me quite a lot of Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, though with more of the distinct style of Japanese contemporary lit fiction.
I only really took off a half star for this read because I'm not the biggest short story collection fan-- especially when they're this short-- and felt like some of these stories still could've been better. I think my experience was partially dampened for me because the first couple stories were so weirdly bland compared to the rest, and weren't what I had been expecting-- less so than the rest of the book.
Like I said earlier, I was much more expecting a traditional book of horror stories when I opened this, so it definitely wasn't what I expected, but still more than worth it-- especially being such a short read. I guess that's my fault, though-- the cover did call it a book of "11 dark tales" which is more than accurate to what it is. I think something about the menacing cover and title just didn't fit the book at all, though.
If you're looking for straight up horror, this is not my recommendation. That said, it was a wonderful and enticing collection I really got sucked into, and if you want a sense of uneasiness-- like you're lost somewhere almost familiar-- with a dose of surrealism, then you've found the right book.
It started out with a couple stories that were honestly sort of lackluster and confusing, but still odd and mildly intriguing-- and ironically were referred to later on as the stories of a woman who wasn't a very impressive writer. Slowly, I got the picture and realized that this was going to be a maze of a collection.
Every piece was a bit unsettling and weird, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement whenever I put together how the new one tied to other ones. I remember thinking throughout that this book must've taken so much planning. I can almost see the bulletin board with red string tying different concepts and characters together.
There's not much I can talk about without spoiling huge ideas, honestly-- it all tied together so perfectly, and every moment felt important and well-used by Ogawa. I sort of wonder what it'd be like had I read them in a different order. I could go back and do that, and probably will, but it still won't quite be the same. I hope someone reads this and takes initiative to read them out of order. Let me know how it goes, if you do.
Her style blended so many beautiful sensations for me. I loved the sense of uneasiness, and it reminded me quite a lot of Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, though with more of the distinct style of Japanese contemporary lit fiction.
I only really took off a half star for this read because I'm not the biggest short story collection fan-- especially when they're this short-- and felt like some of these stories still could've been better. I think my experience was partially dampened for me because the first couple stories were so weirdly bland compared to the rest, and weren't what I had been expecting-- less so than the rest of the book.
Like I said earlier, I was much more expecting a traditional book of horror stories when I opened this, so it definitely wasn't what I expected, but still more than worth it-- especially being such a short read. I guess that's my fault, though-- the cover did call it a book of "11 dark tales" which is more than accurate to what it is. I think something about the menacing cover and title just didn't fit the book at all, though.
If you're looking for straight up horror, this is not my recommendation. That said, it was a wonderful and enticing collection I really got sucked into, and if you want a sense of uneasiness-- like you're lost somewhere almost familiar-- with a dose of surrealism, then you've found the right book.