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The Graveyard Apartment
One of the most popular writers working in Japan today, Mariko Koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. Known in particular for her hybrid works that blend these styles with elements of romance, The Graveyard Apartment is arguably Koike’s masterpiece. Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike’s novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family that believes it has found the perfect home to grow into, only to realize that the apartment’s idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil and that longer they stay, the more trapped they become.This tale of a young married couple who harbor a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a brand new apartment building built next to a graveyard. As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building start to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone... or something... lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.
325 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1988
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16242 people want to read
About the author
Mariko Koike
78 books87 followers小池真理子 Mariko Koike is a popular detective and horror novelist. Koike was born in Tokyo and graduated from Seikei University. Her first collection of essays was Recommendations to Women of the World and it became a bestseller. She has been a novelist since her novel came out in 1986. Several of her novels have been translated in to English by Deborah Boliver Boehm.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 854 reviews
September 17, 2016
One day Teppei (father), Misao (mother), Tamao (daughter), Cookie (dog) and Pyoko (White Finch) move into an apartment by the graveyard. And that was the dumbest decision they ever made!
The story starts out slow for me, but after about 40% it takes off. There are little things in the beginning, stuff with the bird that pass and kept coming back and everyone being creeped out by the basement where the storage units were . . . and then . . . it all gets cray!
When these bizarre things start happening, Misao decides to investigate when she finds out some stories about the place. Apparently awhile back, they were making a tunnel underground to put shops and all kinds of stuff and this was going to run under the graveyard and stopping at the apartment complex. Central Plaza Mansion is what the apartments are called. Anyway, it never really says in the book but I think (and Misao) thinks since they didn't block up the tunnel/road, that the spirits were ticked off. I mean it makes sense to me.
They can see the graveyard from their windows and there is also a crematorium and some other building. These places belongs to an ancient Buddhist temple.
Anyway, there are 14 units in the mansion with 8 people living in the units, not counting the mansion keepers on the bottom floor. No, they are not creepy, they were a nice elderly couple.
Slowly everyone starts to move out. Then it's just Misao and her family and another family she became friends with and let their children play together. But toooooooooo many freaky deaky things started happening and that family left too. Even the elderly couple left and the Kano family were left there on their own. Oh they tried to get out but something kept happening to the places they were going to stay. It makes me wonder if the graveyard ghosts wanted them to stay there (because there were a lot of those) or if it was because of something else that happened in their past.
Either way, I enjoyed the book and the ending was just . . . yeah. I can't even say. If your looking for a nice scary book without all of the gruesomeness then this is the one.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
The story starts out slow for me, but after about 40% it takes off. There are little things in the beginning, stuff with the bird that pass and kept coming back and everyone being creeped out by the basement where the storage units were . . . and then . . . it all gets cray!
When these bizarre things start happening, Misao decides to investigate when she finds out some stories about the place. Apparently awhile back, they were making a tunnel underground to put shops and all kinds of stuff and this was going to run under the graveyard and stopping at the apartment complex. Central Plaza Mansion is what the apartments are called. Anyway, it never really says in the book but I think (and Misao) thinks since they didn't block up the tunnel/road, that the spirits were ticked off. I mean it makes sense to me.
They can see the graveyard from their windows and there is also a crematorium and some other building. These places belongs to an ancient Buddhist temple.
Anyway, there are 14 units in the mansion with 8 people living in the units, not counting the mansion keepers on the bottom floor. No, they are not creepy, they were a nice elderly couple.
Slowly everyone starts to move out. Then it's just Misao and her family and another family she became friends with and let their children play together. But toooooooooo many freaky deaky things started happening and that family left too. Even the elderly couple left and the Kano family were left there on their own. Oh they tried to get out but something kept happening to the places they were going to stay. It makes me wonder if the graveyard ghosts wanted them to stay there (because there were a lot of those) or if it was because of something else that happened in their past.
Either way, I enjoyed the book and the ending was just . . . yeah. I can't even say. If your looking for a nice scary book without all of the gruesomeness then this is the one.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
November 25, 2018
Okay, this was creepy as can be and is very subtle at first, which is what makes a great horror read, but as the characters effected are a tiny family with a beautiful little daughter I kind of have to take a step back. Books like The Ruins and other great scary novels, if they make the protagonists pay the ultimate price for their evil, it doesn't really bother me, but to make an innocent pay is too much. The parents have committed a sort of crime, as their affair led to the suicide of Teppei's first wife. Misao and Teppei have tried to make amends to the former wife, but apparently have not paid the full price. Their little innocent girl, Tamao, shouldn't be a part of the payback at all. The revenge of evil spirits who dwell under their new apartment building seem not to care though. As all the other people in the apartment move out as fast as they can, the Kanos have trouble finding a new place, so they are the only ones left at the end and must bear the brunt of the foul phantoms from Hell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2016
Early in this book, there's an aside, (I wondered if it was added by the translator) to the effect that Western people might not find it terribly scary or abnormal to live in the vicinity of a graveyard, noting that many people regard them similarly to lovely parks. This definitely describes my attitude; I would regard a home with a view looking out on a graveyard to be more desirable, not less.
Although I've visited Japan, asking people what they thought of living near cemeteries never came up in conversation. This book makes the presumption that it's shocking, no one would do it unless they had to, friends will comment upon it, and that condos near the cemetery would sell at roughly half the price of what an equivalent home would elsewhere. Is this true? I don't know. I google-mapped one random cemetery in Japan, and it looked like residential streets were directly abutting it.
However, for the purposes of the story I said, "OK, we will just accept that this is a very undesirable and spooky location." So, my rating has nothing to do with whether or not living near a graveyard is spooky. (After all, the premise was obvious from the title.)
Married couple and their young daughter move into the condo that ends up being called the "Graveyard Apartment." The building is half-empty (and soon gets emptier); the neighbors, eccentric. Although, on the face of it, the family looks 'perfect,' the relationship is haunted (in the non-supernatural way) by the ghost of the husband's former wife, and both partners' guilt about what happened to end that relationship. Soon, spooky events start happening around the building, and they get a bad feeling about the place - especially the basement. Unfortunately, they sank their life savings into this condo, and don't have the resources to get a new place. (Buyers aren't exactly lining up to move in while everyone else is moving out.) Gradually, their isolation escalates, and strange events start getting harder to ignore or explain away.
The set-up isn't bad. However, after that, the book just doesn't pull it together. It ends up feeling like the author followed the basic form of a bad "B" horror movie, without paying any attention to the logical (or mythological) underpinnings of typical events in the genre. The end result is a non-scary random mish-mash. My issues with how things play out: SPOILER DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK.
Many thanks to Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this recently-translated book. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
Although I've visited Japan, asking people what they thought of living near cemeteries never came up in conversation. This book makes the presumption that it's shocking, no one would do it unless they had to, friends will comment upon it, and that condos near the cemetery would sell at roughly half the price of what an equivalent home would elsewhere. Is this true? I don't know. I google-mapped one random cemetery in Japan, and it looked like residential streets were directly abutting it.
However, for the purposes of the story I said, "OK, we will just accept that this is a very undesirable and spooky location." So, my rating has nothing to do with whether or not living near a graveyard is spooky. (After all, the premise was obvious from the title.)
Married couple and their young daughter move into the condo that ends up being called the "Graveyard Apartment." The building is half-empty (and soon gets emptier); the neighbors, eccentric. Although, on the face of it, the family looks 'perfect,' the relationship is haunted (in the non-supernatural way) by the ghost of the husband's former wife, and both partners' guilt about what happened to end that relationship. Soon, spooky events start happening around the building, and they get a bad feeling about the place - especially the basement. Unfortunately, they sank their life savings into this condo, and don't have the resources to get a new place. (Buyers aren't exactly lining up to move in while everyone else is moving out.) Gradually, their isolation escalates, and strange events start getting harder to ignore or explain away.
The set-up isn't bad. However, after that, the book just doesn't pull it together. It ends up feeling like the author followed the basic form of a bad "B" horror movie, without paying any attention to the logical (or mythological) underpinnings of typical events in the genre. The end result is a non-scary random mish-mash. My issues with how things play out: SPOILER DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS BOOK.
Many thanks to Thomas Dunne Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this recently-translated book. As always, my opinions are solely my own.
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October 18, 2016brief plot etc: here.
The synopsis of this novel sounded like something right up my horror-reading alley, and it had potential to become a definite spine chiller had I not felt like I was reading a twisted Japanese version of the movie Poltergeist. Not only was this book a "been there, done that" sort of thing for me, but it moved at a snail's pace -- while some weird things happened, they did so sort of piecemeal, with a lot of space in between which for me only deadened any sort of creep factor I was looking for. Acknowledging that it did have its moments, these were not enough to make the sense of horror at all sustainable over the course of the novel. By the time the "last thirty pages" came along, which were supposed to have readers "holding your breath" according to the back cover blurb, I was just ready to be done and to leave the Kanos to their fate. I'll also say that there was a major opportunity to make this a stronger horror novel that was missed and if anyone wants to talk about it after reading, let me know.
Once again, I see that I'm the proverbial fish swimming upstream against the tide, since this book seems to be making horror readers everywhere happy people. I really, really wanted to like it, but the truth is that it just didn't wow me. I had decided to read a more modern horror story to prove to myself that I wasn't a one-trick pony taking pleasure only in vintage chills, but it just wasn't the right one for me. That doesn't mean it might not be someone else's cup of cha, but in this case, it just wasn't mine.
October 4, 2016
A young family has bought an apartment in a new building that houses fourteen apartments but only has eight current tenants. The building itself overlooks a cemetery and crematorium. Upon moving in the family begins to experience a few odd occurrences starting with their pet bird dying shortly after arrival but then the young daughter claims she still sees the bird.
When shown around the building the family discovers one odd design flaw to the place, the basement only has access via the elevator with no stairway to use in case of emergency. Of course this leads to even more problems for the young couple and their daughter and before you know it things really start to take place in their new home.
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike is a horror read originally published in Japan in 1986 but is now being translated and republished. I found myself having a bit of trouble with this one due to it originally being a Japanese tale and not being familiar with that language.
First the main characters in the story are Teppei, Misao, and Tamao which led to a bit of confusion for a while for myself to remember which was the father, mother and child in the story just not being familiar with the names. After getting used to that it did get slightly better but there were also thing like the apartment listing being in yen so I kept questioning why not translate that so we'd know if they go a major bargain to move into a place with the view of a cemetery. There were also words here and there that I wasn't familiar with that possibly just didn't translate well to English.
But aside from the things with this being a translated book I also found myself just simply eventually losing interest in the story. I just didn't feel the major pull of something incredibly scary going on that I should feel reading a book of this nature. Sure, some odd occurrences begin happening but I just wanted more over the course of the book. Not too terrible of an ending to this one but by that time I just really wasn't left with any kind of excitement other than finishing.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me unfortunately. I'm sure some will find the story scary enough but it just moved a bit too slowly for my taste along with a few translation issues.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
When shown around the building the family discovers one odd design flaw to the place, the basement only has access via the elevator with no stairway to use in case of emergency. Of course this leads to even more problems for the young couple and their daughter and before you know it things really start to take place in their new home.
The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike is a horror read originally published in Japan in 1986 but is now being translated and republished. I found myself having a bit of trouble with this one due to it originally being a Japanese tale and not being familiar with that language.
First the main characters in the story are Teppei, Misao, and Tamao which led to a bit of confusion for a while for myself to remember which was the father, mother and child in the story just not being familiar with the names. After getting used to that it did get slightly better but there were also thing like the apartment listing being in yen so I kept questioning why not translate that so we'd know if they go a major bargain to move into a place with the view of a cemetery. There were also words here and there that I wasn't familiar with that possibly just didn't translate well to English.
But aside from the things with this being a translated book I also found myself just simply eventually losing interest in the story. I just didn't feel the major pull of something incredibly scary going on that I should feel reading a book of this nature. Sure, some odd occurrences begin happening but I just wanted more over the course of the book. Not too terrible of an ending to this one but by that time I just really wasn't left with any kind of excitement other than finishing.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me unfortunately. I'm sure some will find the story scary enough but it just moved a bit too slowly for my taste along with a few translation issues.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
January 3, 2017
Teppei, Misao, their daughter, Tamao, and the family pet move into a newly built apartment ready to start their lives anew.
Happiness and peace do not come easily when minor disturbances start to happen that the family cannot ignore. The graveyard located nearby has the tenants wondering if their living arrangements aren't a dream come true, but a nightmare ready to be unleashed.
The premise for this story is what motivated me to request it. I picked it up and put it down many a time and with the New Year I decided I was going to force myself to stick with it.
The fact that I had to force myself should have been a precursor to what my final take on this read would be, but stubborn me, I just had to finish it.
It was boring. This book. This family. The building itself. It wasn't just slow, it was uninteresting.
I don't know if the language barrier played a factor in the English version or not, but the story was just not good. The backstory was told by the characters as if reciting a grocery list.
The daughter, who seemed to know more about the building, courtesy of her dead pet, was the most notable character although she had limited talk time. Her parents tended to speak for her or not believe what she was telling.
The "things" behind the so-called horror weren't developed enough for any true scary things to occur.
Maybe it was the time it was written (in the 1980's) or maybe the reviews for this title are slightly elevated for the sake of it being gifted, but I would not recommend it whatsoever.
*I'd like to thank Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for a review. These opinions are my own.*
I give this read 1- Crash and Burn
Happiness and peace do not come easily when minor disturbances start to happen that the family cannot ignore. The graveyard located nearby has the tenants wondering if their living arrangements aren't a dream come true, but a nightmare ready to be unleashed.
The premise for this story is what motivated me to request it. I picked it up and put it down many a time and with the New Year I decided I was going to force myself to stick with it.
The fact that I had to force myself should have been a precursor to what my final take on this read would be, but stubborn me, I just had to finish it.
It was boring. This book. This family. The building itself. It wasn't just slow, it was uninteresting.
I don't know if the language barrier played a factor in the English version or not, but the story was just not good. The backstory was told by the characters as if reciting a grocery list.
The daughter, who seemed to know more about the building, courtesy of her dead pet, was the most notable character although she had limited talk time. Her parents tended to speak for her or not believe what she was telling.
The "things" behind the so-called horror weren't developed enough for any true scary things to occur.
Maybe it was the time it was written (in the 1980's) or maybe the reviews for this title are slightly elevated for the sake of it being gifted, but I would not recommend it whatsoever.
*I'd like to thank Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for a review. These opinions are my own.*
I give this read 1- Crash and Burn
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October 18, 2025A young married couple move into a great apartment. It's cheap. It's spacious. It's close to work. The one catch? It's sandwiched between a graveyard and a crematorium. But that's not a problem, right?
I got strong Poltergeist vibes from this one. Reminded me of watching Tobe Hooper's 1982 chiller when I was a kid. Things start out just a little weird in the building. But there's a steadily-mounting dread as the novel goes on. You will believe an elevator can be creepy.
Recommended for fans of the aforementioned Poltergeist, or any other modern ghost story, for that matter. - Mike M.
I got strong Poltergeist vibes from this one. Reminded me of watching Tobe Hooper's 1982 chiller when I was a kid. Things start out just a little weird in the building. But there's a steadily-mounting dread as the novel goes on. You will believe an elevator can be creepy.
Recommended for fans of the aforementioned Poltergeist, or any other modern ghost story, for that matter. - Mike M.
October 18, 2016
Oh my gosh I was so disappointed in this one, you guys. I thought for sure this would be a home run, I mean Japanese horror, HOW CAN YOU GO WRONG. It has to be creepy, right?
Nope. Turns out it can just be stilted and kind of boring.
Conceptually it’s fine: a family moves into an apartment building erected right next to a graveyard and starts experiencing weird shit. The execution is where it’s lacking. I don’t know if it’s a style thing or a translation thing or just a bad combination of the two, but the narration in this book is winding and super redundant. Characters return to the same thoughts, opinions, feelings, and ideas over and over and over again, as though they’re afraid that we won’t understand or remember them they only state them once.
Specific phrases and words are also re-used pretty frequently, some oddly elaborate and circuitous enough that they stick out more than they normally would. I’m assuming that the words are maybe more common in Japan and/or have a very specific, wordy translation, but the cumulative effect of this, the concept repetition, and the stilted dialogue, is that The Graveyard Apartment can be a real fucking chore to get through.
It’d even out maybe if the story were a little more interesting, but there’s just not a whole to propel the narrative. Spooks are mild and sparse, and there’s little effort made to explain anything. The Graveyard Apartment contains some interesting elements – the dark history of Misao and Teppei’s seemingly idyllic relationship, the mysteriously halted construction of an underground shopping mall, the slow desertion of the apartment complex and isolation of the family, and a pretty mindfucky scene in the basement towards the end – but none of it ever builds to anything concrete. Threads are brought up but never tied together, and the last act plays out without any real explanation or motivation beyond “ghostly evil”.
Also, I’m sorry, but an evil house just straight-up vaporizing outsiders before they can provide or call for help is totally cheating. That’s cheap, evil apartment building.
It’s absolutely possible that there’s some vital cultural context that I’m missing that makes Graveyard Apartment super creepy and relevant – presumably there’s a reason that it’s a classic – but as someone just looking for some spooks, this book didn’t do it for me. There were some creepy ideas and sequences involved, but the writing was too clunky to enjoy, and the payoff too lackluster to make it worth it. It’s a bummer, but I’d have to say pass.
TWO AND A HALF STARS
Read more reviews like this at You'reKilling.Us
Nope. Turns out it can just be stilted and kind of boring.
Conceptually it’s fine: a family moves into an apartment building erected right next to a graveyard and starts experiencing weird shit. The execution is where it’s lacking. I don’t know if it’s a style thing or a translation thing or just a bad combination of the two, but the narration in this book is winding and super redundant. Characters return to the same thoughts, opinions, feelings, and ideas over and over and over again, as though they’re afraid that we won’t understand or remember them they only state them once.
Specific phrases and words are also re-used pretty frequently, some oddly elaborate and circuitous enough that they stick out more than they normally would. I’m assuming that the words are maybe more common in Japan and/or have a very specific, wordy translation, but the cumulative effect of this, the concept repetition, and the stilted dialogue, is that The Graveyard Apartment can be a real fucking chore to get through.
It’d even out maybe if the story were a little more interesting, but there’s just not a whole to propel the narrative. Spooks are mild and sparse, and there’s little effort made to explain anything. The Graveyard Apartment contains some interesting elements – the dark history of Misao and Teppei’s seemingly idyllic relationship, the mysteriously halted construction of an underground shopping mall, the slow desertion of the apartment complex and isolation of the family, and a pretty mindfucky scene in the basement towards the end – but none of it ever builds to anything concrete. Threads are brought up but never tied together, and the last act plays out without any real explanation or motivation beyond “ghostly evil”.
Also, I’m sorry, but an evil house just straight-up vaporizing outsiders before they can provide or call for help is totally cheating. That’s cheap, evil apartment building.
It’s absolutely possible that there’s some vital cultural context that I’m missing that makes Graveyard Apartment super creepy and relevant – presumably there’s a reason that it’s a classic – but as someone just looking for some spooks, this book didn’t do it for me. There were some creepy ideas and sequences involved, but the writing was too clunky to enjoy, and the payoff too lackluster to make it worth it. It’s a bummer, but I’d have to say pass.
TWO AND A HALF STARS
Read more reviews like this at You'reKilling.Us
October 23, 2020
There is an early(ish) internal rumination by our father-figure/male-protagonist, Teppei, about his admiration of some college friends that had moved into an apartment of a recently deceased woman. Rather than them being freaked out or made uneasy by this, they had even taken to eating off her plates and using her stuff to save money and to have a good time. At the time, it is staged as his comparison of the rational (there's no reason not to use the woman's stuff and take advantage of the cheap arrangements to save money for yourself) versus irrational (there's something eerie about living near the site of a recent death) in conjunction with his own mental chastising of his wife, the mother-figure/female-protagonist, Misao. I took it as a minor bit of fluff at first glance, a character's internal justification of why he was unbothered living near a graveyard if he meant he could get a nice apartment for cheap (and one that strikes me as fair, in that we eat off cookware left to us by dead grandparents and so forth in my own household), and it was only after finishing the book that I realized that much of its heart swam there in that quick memory, because this is a book about ignoring the dead and the cost it has upon us. The quite literal dead, in many ways, but also the lives and circumstances we leave behind when we forge a new us.
There are three central connections to this college-friends story: (1) Reiko, (2) the eponymous graveyard, and (3) an abandoned underground shopping center (plus a failed economic boost to an area). The first, Reiko, was Teppei's ex-wife who killed herself one weekend while Teppei and Misao were out having an affair. Much of the character motivation for the apartment is tied up into finally leaving behind the darkness of Reiko's death, which soured relations between the main couple and their family and coworkers. Only, we later learn that Teppei tossed much of the responsibility of handling the mechanics of Reiko's death to his younger brother and that much of Teppei's own internal take on the situation is basically that Reiko deserved it because she simply wasn't fun in the way that Misao is. And you are left wondering how long before he moves on, again, as Misao becomes older and a bit more human and does not always choose to be the sunshine in her husband's life.
This facile washing of hands against things that does not fit his comfort zone is a chief characteristic of Teppei who, later, faced with the encroaching final climax, childishly quotes some unspecified anime character in saying, "I am a man." The mantra of a person who has made very few adult decisions in the entirety of the novel. A man who discredits his second wife because she used to be so rational+fun but has become a downer and does not appreciate that he goes to work everyday or drinks to abusiveness because he cannot handle the stress of the middle-portion of the novel. A man who deals with the death of another loved one later in the story by reminiscing about how said person always looked up to him (in effect boosting his own manhood to appease grief). A man who resorts to pointless violence to escape something supernatural and only after things have become grim tries to be more truly rational. In fact, the failure-of-men is a major recurring theme of this book, with the irony that the silly-old-women are, in fact, right but generally trapped by their husbands. Even the young daughter who talks about being visited (and warned away from the apartment) by her dead bird ends up more correct than her father. In this, the novel feels maybe too much like a Japanese The Shining, though perhaps less obvious in its central metaphor.
In comparison to these elements, the two central horror anchors - the graveyard and the abandoned shopping center - are mechanical. A machine that often fails by being too pat. Why would the dead be disturbed by others' happiness? Why would they be concentrated here, simply because the city chose to make room for the living? In any city the size of Tokyo, there are many thousands dead and thousands of abodes with stories of death. Why is this one so particularly bad? The justification seems trite unless you accept this as a story about a different type of haunting, about the destruction of happiness because it was artificially built upon the past without respect for it. If you do not make that leap, or do not like that leap, it becomes...arbitrary...and leaves the novel grasping for solid center. And when the climax hits and literal bursts of light explode hapless victims into melted puddles, even the callback to the atomic bomb over Hiroshima barely stalls out the sense of the whole thing being cheapened by dramatics. It is easily the most exciting scene in the novel, but one that feels so out of place with the slow-as-molasses burn of the rest of it, one in which external energies matter more than internal ones.
When I bought the novel, I was not aware that this was an 80s horror novel (hell, I'm not sure I was 100% aware it was Japanese). Knowing that, now, it is interesting to see how certain things have changed and some have stayed the same. There are elements of technophobia that later became sort of a trademark of J-horror brought to the states - the cursed videotape, the cursed cellphone, the cursed website, etc - though in this case it is more that modern conveniences such as elevators and air conditioners are always going to fail at the worst, ghostliest (and Summer heatwave-iest) time. Later novels and movies do it better. There are elements of chastising progress - not just the abandoned underground shopping mall but also just the general disarray of boom times leaving some areas mostly empty and forlorn. However, it is hard to imagine that more modern novel of a similar theme wouldn't have had a bigger sense of camaraderie, with various neighbors teaming up to fight against the horror.
But I suppose that is just another part the story: as people escape their various graveyard apartments, they do not come back. The story is no longer about them, focusing instead on those trapped and left behind with the things that crawl underneath. Twice, as allies leave, there is a sense of guilt but also a sense of selfish-glee to be gone, and with each decrease in numbers our central couple is increasingly alone, until they reach a state similar to the one right after Teppei's first wife died, where others shunned them except a few close people...said close people holding a grudge underneath their tongue. In other words, who can blame their fleeing neighbors? Did not Teppei and Misao leave Reiko to die with even less justification?
This novel is very slow reading, even relative to other slow burn haunted house horrors, and prone to infuriatingly repetitious internal monologues and seemingly-pointless dialogues. It is by no means a feel good novel of any sort, and many characters seem only there to act out roles or to dump exposition (or, in the case of a young real estate agent, make semi-lewd suggestions that Misao is Teppei's sidechick who got pregnant and needs a new apartment to escape the wife...which is actually sort of true). It lacks a certain baseline humanity that horror needs to really feel comfortable, instead leaving you unsure of most things. Every other decision by the central characters will leave you breathlessly frustrated in how blasé they are about surviving their own darkness, though there is some interesting aspects in their having to deal with real world considerations when it comes to fleeing a haunted house (Tokyo isn't cheap, and just moving to an affordable apartment takes time). Chances are, you'll be rooting for the daughter and the dog more than anyone else, and that's ok. I think that's the point.
It is a novel that requires patience in the drearier moments to enjoy the subtle success in deftly handling some complex themes in such an understated way. It feels almost like a novel written in code to get past censors, luring you in with a cover and a title to talk about modernity and futile masculinity. One review I read said it could easily be 100 pages shorter. This is true. Maybe false in that you could imagine the novel more direct in its trope and being even longer. Several had said the characters were too unlikeable. I think this is false, because this novel is about the failures of seemingly happy people. Making them "better" would have made it simply an exercise in horror machinations. This is not to say you can take the easy street of saying the characters deserved this, but the strength of the novel is in its characters' flaws. Also, in keeping with its ambiguous horror novel trappings, it effectively "just ends," leaving the reader off step and without even a true resolution. In this, your mileage may vary.
Bonus note: there is an injury chalked up, seemingly nonsensically at first to my western mind, to an indoor "weasel wind" (as translated by the translator) and this phrase, "weasel wind," gets so oft repeated that it is very nearly a drinking game. However, finally in a fit of pique I looked up more information and found a long history of the term and its links to the supernatural, which makes it another echo of the theme...by leaving behind the past, Teppei repeats this term over and over and ignores its deeper, darker connotations. He was, as is the case in the majority of this novel, forewarned but choose to prioritize practical rationality and his pride until things had gone too far to stop.
There are three central connections to this college-friends story: (1) Reiko, (2) the eponymous graveyard, and (3) an abandoned underground shopping center (plus a failed economic boost to an area). The first, Reiko, was Teppei's ex-wife who killed herself one weekend while Teppei and Misao were out having an affair. Much of the character motivation for the apartment is tied up into finally leaving behind the darkness of Reiko's death, which soured relations between the main couple and their family and coworkers. Only, we later learn that Teppei tossed much of the responsibility of handling the mechanics of Reiko's death to his younger brother and that much of Teppei's own internal take on the situation is basically that Reiko deserved it because she simply wasn't fun in the way that Misao is. And you are left wondering how long before he moves on, again, as Misao becomes older and a bit more human and does not always choose to be the sunshine in her husband's life.
This facile washing of hands against things that does not fit his comfort zone is a chief characteristic of Teppei who, later, faced with the encroaching final climax, childishly quotes some unspecified anime character in saying, "I am a man." The mantra of a person who has made very few adult decisions in the entirety of the novel. A man who discredits his second wife because she used to be so rational+fun but has become a downer and does not appreciate that he goes to work everyday or drinks to abusiveness because he cannot handle the stress of the middle-portion of the novel. A man who deals with the death of another loved one later in the story by reminiscing about how said person always looked up to him (in effect boosting his own manhood to appease grief). A man who resorts to pointless violence to escape something supernatural and only after things have become grim tries to be more truly rational. In fact, the failure-of-men is a major recurring theme of this book, with the irony that the silly-old-women are, in fact, right but generally trapped by their husbands. Even the young daughter who talks about being visited (and warned away from the apartment) by her dead bird ends up more correct than her father. In this, the novel feels maybe too much like a Japanese The Shining, though perhaps less obvious in its central metaphor.
In comparison to these elements, the two central horror anchors - the graveyard and the abandoned shopping center - are mechanical. A machine that often fails by being too pat. Why would the dead be disturbed by others' happiness? Why would they be concentrated here, simply because the city chose to make room for the living? In any city the size of Tokyo, there are many thousands dead and thousands of abodes with stories of death. Why is this one so particularly bad? The justification seems trite unless you accept this as a story about a different type of haunting, about the destruction of happiness because it was artificially built upon the past without respect for it. If you do not make that leap, or do not like that leap, it becomes...arbitrary...and leaves the novel grasping for solid center. And when the climax hits and literal bursts of light explode hapless victims into melted puddles, even the callback to the atomic bomb over Hiroshima barely stalls out the sense of the whole thing being cheapened by dramatics. It is easily the most exciting scene in the novel, but one that feels so out of place with the slow-as-molasses burn of the rest of it, one in which external energies matter more than internal ones.
When I bought the novel, I was not aware that this was an 80s horror novel (hell, I'm not sure I was 100% aware it was Japanese). Knowing that, now, it is interesting to see how certain things have changed and some have stayed the same. There are elements of technophobia that later became sort of a trademark of J-horror brought to the states - the cursed videotape, the cursed cellphone, the cursed website, etc - though in this case it is more that modern conveniences such as elevators and air conditioners are always going to fail at the worst, ghostliest (and Summer heatwave-iest) time. Later novels and movies do it better. There are elements of chastising progress - not just the abandoned underground shopping mall but also just the general disarray of boom times leaving some areas mostly empty and forlorn. However, it is hard to imagine that more modern novel of a similar theme wouldn't have had a bigger sense of camaraderie, with various neighbors teaming up to fight against the horror.
But I suppose that is just another part the story: as people escape their various graveyard apartments, they do not come back. The story is no longer about them, focusing instead on those trapped and left behind with the things that crawl underneath. Twice, as allies leave, there is a sense of guilt but also a sense of selfish-glee to be gone, and with each decrease in numbers our central couple is increasingly alone, until they reach a state similar to the one right after Teppei's first wife died, where others shunned them except a few close people...said close people holding a grudge underneath their tongue. In other words, who can blame their fleeing neighbors? Did not Teppei and Misao leave Reiko to die with even less justification?
This novel is very slow reading, even relative to other slow burn haunted house horrors, and prone to infuriatingly repetitious internal monologues and seemingly-pointless dialogues. It is by no means a feel good novel of any sort, and many characters seem only there to act out roles or to dump exposition (or, in the case of a young real estate agent, make semi-lewd suggestions that Misao is Teppei's sidechick who got pregnant and needs a new apartment to escape the wife...which is actually sort of true). It lacks a certain baseline humanity that horror needs to really feel comfortable, instead leaving you unsure of most things. Every other decision by the central characters will leave you breathlessly frustrated in how blasé they are about surviving their own darkness, though there is some interesting aspects in their having to deal with real world considerations when it comes to fleeing a haunted house (Tokyo isn't cheap, and just moving to an affordable apartment takes time). Chances are, you'll be rooting for the daughter and the dog more than anyone else, and that's ok. I think that's the point.
It is a novel that requires patience in the drearier moments to enjoy the subtle success in deftly handling some complex themes in such an understated way. It feels almost like a novel written in code to get past censors, luring you in with a cover and a title to talk about modernity and futile masculinity. One review I read said it could easily be 100 pages shorter. This is true. Maybe false in that you could imagine the novel more direct in its trope and being even longer. Several had said the characters were too unlikeable. I think this is false, because this novel is about the failures of seemingly happy people. Making them "better" would have made it simply an exercise in horror machinations. This is not to say you can take the easy street of saying the characters deserved this, but the strength of the novel is in its characters' flaws. Also, in keeping with its ambiguous horror novel trappings, it effectively "just ends," leaving the reader off step and without even a true resolution. In this, your mileage may vary.
Bonus note: there is an injury chalked up, seemingly nonsensically at first to my western mind, to an indoor "weasel wind" (as translated by the translator) and this phrase, "weasel wind," gets so oft repeated that it is very nearly a drinking game. However, finally in a fit of pique I looked up more information and found a long history of the term and its links to the supernatural, which makes it another echo of the theme...by leaving behind the past, Teppei repeats this term over and over and ignores its deeper, darker connotations. He was, as is the case in the majority of this novel, forewarned but choose to prioritize practical rationality and his pride until things had gone too far to stop.
October 7, 2016
http://angelerin.blogspot.com/2016/10...
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of The Graveyard Apartment By: Mariko Koike in exchange for an honest review.
Short Review Summary:
Atmospheric, good tension, and slow building.
The first thing that drew me to The Graveyard Apartment is the cover, but the other thing that really caught my attention is that it was originally published (in 1986, the year I was born) in Japan. I enjoy Japanese horror and I feel like it's something that I haven't read/watched enough of. Boy, am I glad I gave this one a try because I really enjoyed it!
#CoverLove
The Graveyard Apartment is an extremely atmospheric book. Due to the atmosphere, the mystery, the supernatural aspects, and the slow build I found it to be a bit gothic. I love stories that are a bit gothic and have a great slow building story, so this definitely was a big plus for me! However, this book is also psychological and pretty intense at times. The tension is really magnificently done in this novel. I'm a sucker for atmosphere and tension. I don't really have a lot to say about the characters though. I felt for Teppei, Misao, and their daughter Tamao in their situation, but I didn't really like any of them. It's not that I disliked them, but I definitely feel like this is a more of a setting/plot driven novel.
#AtmosphereAndTensionAreAWinningCombo
There are a few classic tropes, but they are very well done. Also, because it was first published in the 80s that is to be expected. I really enjoyed the tropes that were used and it didn't take away from the intensity of the novel. One part was so intense and then I had to go to sleep right after (since I couldn't keep my eyes open lol) and I really wanted to keep reading. It's funny because I dreamed about that intense part in my dreams that night. I couldn't wait to get back to it and finish the book the next day. I think that part will stick with me for a while. I love that.
#IDreamAboutBooks
Overall The Graveyard Apartment is a FANTASTIC horror novel and I loved it. I even love the ending that is equal parts awesomeness and frustrating. You'll have to read for yourself to see what exactly I mean by that though. I'm so glad I read this one. It's exactly what I've been in the mood for this Fall.
#OctoberReads
I recommend The Graveyard Apartment for fans of Shirley Jackson, The Ring, atmospheric/tense horror stories.
#CallingAllHorrorFans
April 15, 2017
Misao & teppei move into an apartment with their daughter Tamao & dog Cookie by a graveyard after Teppei's former wife commits suicide. They think they will be happy until certain unknown incidents begin to happen.
WHAT EVIL IS INSIDE THE BASEMENT!!
As the story progresses Teppei is warned by Mr Suji to keep out of there but he just makes a joke of it saying What's down there Monsters or something But te resident said something more sinister>
It is not until one of the residents tells Misao that Tamao has been hurt in the basement that Teppei finally believes him.
What happens from here on in is a race to save their lives. I wouldn't say that I liked this book for me it didn,t have that wow factor about it but was well written more of a paranormal/ horror read which was very atmospheric. 3 stars
WHAT EVIL IS INSIDE THE BASEMENT!!
As the story progresses Teppei is warned by Mr Suji to keep out of there but he just makes a joke of it saying What's down there Monsters or something But te resident said something more sinister>
It is not until one of the residents tells Misao that Tamao has been hurt in the basement that Teppei finally believes him.
What happens from here on in is a race to save their lives. I wouldn't say that I liked this book for me it didn,t have that wow factor about it but was well written more of a paranormal/ horror read which was very atmospheric. 3 stars
November 28, 2020
Wow. This book stays with you. I had a couple of bad dreams last night about being lost in a house that was not familiar as something tried to capture me. The only reason why I gave this 4 stars is that it really does start off slow and continues to be slow until the last couple of chapters. There are also some side plots that don't seem to go anywhere, but I didn't mind that actually. The way the book begins and ends shows that there appears to be a never ending cycle that will continue at the so-called "The Graveyard Apartment."
"The Graveyard Apartment" follows a married couple, Misao, Teppei, and their daughter Tamao that move into the Central Plaza Mansion apartment. The couple have previously lived in a small apartment and jumped at the chance to upgrade their home for something more spacious for them, their dog, and their finch. Misao immediately though feels that the building is "wrong" and wishes that she had fought harder for them not to move in. One of the reasons why Misao feels so off about the place is that it is next to a graveyard, a temple, and a crematory. Although the area around the building is green and lovely in the spring and summer, Misao still feels dread being so close to the dead. When things in the building start to go wrong and unexplained events happen in the apartment's basement, the family starts to wonder if they should move before it's too late.
I think that one of the main reasons why this book rates so low with people is because many didn't care for Misao and Teppei. Both are arrogant and look down on others. Also you get their story of how they met and how they even ended up together, and it doesn't leave them in the best light. If anything though, I liked it more. It showed that these two people have been living with a ghost for a long time, so maybe it makes sense they ended up in a place where ghosts seem to be trying to break through.
The other neighbors in the building get their own stories somewhat too. And I liked that the book delves into what made everyone move in, but realize that something about the building was off and their hurry to leave.
I thought the writing was solid, though I think there are a few terms like "weasel wind" that maybe got mistranslated or it was translated correctly, but my brain still doesn't get it. The flow as I said was very slow. I think a lot of people will end up putting this one down because they expect a lot of things to happen, but I think Koike did a great job with the slow feeling of dread, the fear that the residents start to feel due to living in the apartment and the every wondering mystery of the place. I love that you are just made to guess why the apartment building is haunted. I know some readers wondered if the place became more active after Misao, Teppei, and their daughter Tamao moved in, but I like to think the place became more aware and malevolent after the residents started to depart.
The setting of this book takes place in Japan in the 1980s. I was very curious about the setting and I think that Koike did a great job with it. Some parts of the book feel very dated though, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of it.
I know some people didn't like the ending, but I really did. I sometimes think that horror fans have to see blood and gore and if it's not there they think that a book can't be horror. I loved how Koike set up this book and the creeping tension that just gets ramped up more and more as the book goes on.
Read this for Door 4, Book, Japanese Culture.
"The Graveyard Apartment" follows a married couple, Misao, Teppei, and their daughter Tamao that move into the Central Plaza Mansion apartment. The couple have previously lived in a small apartment and jumped at the chance to upgrade their home for something more spacious for them, their dog, and their finch. Misao immediately though feels that the building is "wrong" and wishes that she had fought harder for them not to move in. One of the reasons why Misao feels so off about the place is that it is next to a graveyard, a temple, and a crematory. Although the area around the building is green and lovely in the spring and summer, Misao still feels dread being so close to the dead. When things in the building start to go wrong and unexplained events happen in the apartment's basement, the family starts to wonder if they should move before it's too late.
I think that one of the main reasons why this book rates so low with people is because many didn't care for Misao and Teppei. Both are arrogant and look down on others. Also you get their story of how they met and how they even ended up together, and it doesn't leave them in the best light. If anything though, I liked it more. It showed that these two people have been living with a ghost for a long time, so maybe it makes sense they ended up in a place where ghosts seem to be trying to break through.
The other neighbors in the building get their own stories somewhat too. And I liked that the book delves into what made everyone move in, but realize that something about the building was off and their hurry to leave.
I thought the writing was solid, though I think there are a few terms like "weasel wind" that maybe got mistranslated or it was translated correctly, but my brain still doesn't get it. The flow as I said was very slow. I think a lot of people will end up putting this one down because they expect a lot of things to happen, but I think Koike did a great job with the slow feeling of dread, the fear that the residents start to feel due to living in the apartment and the every wondering mystery of the place. I love that you are just made to guess why the apartment building is haunted. I know some readers wondered if the place became more active after Misao, Teppei, and their daughter Tamao moved in, but I like to think the place became more aware and malevolent after the residents started to depart.
The setting of this book takes place in Japan in the 1980s. I was very curious about the setting and I think that Koike did a great job with it. Some parts of the book feel very dated though, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of it.
I know some people didn't like the ending, but I really did. I sometimes think that horror fans have to see blood and gore and if it's not there they think that a book can't be horror. I loved how Koike set up this book and the creeping tension that just gets ramped up more and more as the book goes on.
Read this for Door 4, Book, Japanese Culture.
December 27, 2016
3.5 stars.
THE GRAVEYARD APARTMENT, by Mariko Koike was first written in 1986, and later translated into English. The novel takes place in Japan, where the Kano family--Teppei, Maseo, and their young daughter--move into an extremely affordable apartment that they can finally consider a "place of their own". In fact, if it weren't for the fact that it's surrounded by a cemetery and crematorium, the place would almost seem ideal. . .
This was a very atmospheric and slow-burn type of "supernatural horror" story that is generally among my favorites. The characterization was complete--although, at times it seemed a bit "too" complete, when the author went into a large amount of detail over lesser characters that don't come into play in the novel for much other than the odd scene or two. It did take me a little while to catch onto the differences of things in Japan verses the United States--some of the customs, formalities, etc; however, these issues were dealt with very well in the narration, and it didn't take too long before the story felt more "fluid" to me.
The novel was a little too slow (in my opinion) for about the first 40%, with very little other than minor psychological-horror thoughts being planted, and an overabundance of "telling" the readers that something was distinctly WRONG about this apartment complex (other than the scenery), as opposed to "showing" through various occurrences or actions.
After the 40% mark, things began to really take off, both in the activity department, and in the characters' growing sense of horror. At this point, I really began to appreciate the novel, and just thought of the beginning as more of a lengthy prelude to the real story. The ending half was about a 4.5 star read for me, with the beginning being about a 2.5 star one. I've decided to go with 3.5, rounding down on Goodreads (due primarily to several, half-explained theories that frustratingly seemed to evaporate into nonexistence towards the end--almost as if the author just needed to fill up space with conjectures and hypotheses about the cause, and then forgot all about them). However, the story did have some genuinely chilling moments that will stay with me, and the scenes towards the end had ME feeling claustrophobic and nearly "trapped", myself--a great sign for a horror book--so I'll be rounding up on Amazon due to the discrepancies in the ratings' systems.
In summary--never trust the basement of an apartment complex built on the site of an active graveyard.
*I chose to read an ARC of this version through NetGalley. All opinions are uniquely my own.*
THE GRAVEYARD APARTMENT, by Mariko Koike was first written in 1986, and later translated into English. The novel takes place in Japan, where the Kano family--Teppei, Maseo, and their young daughter--move into an extremely affordable apartment that they can finally consider a "place of their own". In fact, if it weren't for the fact that it's surrounded by a cemetery and crematorium, the place would almost seem ideal. . .
This was a very atmospheric and slow-burn type of "supernatural horror" story that is generally among my favorites. The characterization was complete--although, at times it seemed a bit "too" complete, when the author went into a large amount of detail over lesser characters that don't come into play in the novel for much other than the odd scene or two. It did take me a little while to catch onto the differences of things in Japan verses the United States--some of the customs, formalities, etc; however, these issues were dealt with very well in the narration, and it didn't take too long before the story felt more "fluid" to me.
The novel was a little too slow (in my opinion) for about the first 40%, with very little other than minor psychological-horror thoughts being planted, and an overabundance of "telling" the readers that something was distinctly WRONG about this apartment complex (other than the scenery), as opposed to "showing" through various occurrences or actions.
After the 40% mark, things began to really take off, both in the activity department, and in the characters' growing sense of horror. At this point, I really began to appreciate the novel, and just thought of the beginning as more of a lengthy prelude to the real story. The ending half was about a 4.5 star read for me, with the beginning being about a 2.5 star one. I've decided to go with 3.5, rounding down on Goodreads (due primarily to several, half-explained theories that frustratingly seemed to evaporate into nonexistence towards the end--almost as if the author just needed to fill up space with conjectures and hypotheses about the cause, and then forgot all about them). However, the story did have some genuinely chilling moments that will stay with me, and the scenes towards the end had ME feeling claustrophobic and nearly "trapped", myself--a great sign for a horror book--so I'll be rounding up on Amazon due to the discrepancies in the ratings' systems.
In summary--never trust the basement of an apartment complex built on the site of an active graveyard.
*I chose to read an ARC of this version through NetGalley. All opinions are uniquely my own.*
January 18, 2024
Ah, where to start? Was this book a little creepy in places? Yes. Did it keep me up at night? Yes, but only because it was interesting, not because it was scary. Do I think it was profound or distinct enough to stay with me? Probably not.
This was one of those books where the main characters were not necessarily likeable, but you didn't hate them either. The kid and dog were sweet, but I strongly disliked the husband, and the wife was meh. I do think they were good parents though, so maybe that's why I didn't despise them like I probably should've. One thing that I did not feel was sorry for them. This was just karma making a house, or in this case, an apartment call.
The story started off strong, with spooky stuff happening pretty early on, but I felt a lot of the middle was too slowly paced: a lot of people having conversations about nothing, or trying to trick themselves into disbelieving the obviously sinister happenings going on. I mean in real life that does happen, but it makes for boring filler. I wonder if the author intended to make the story as realistic as possible, and therefore creepier for some people, but unfortunately that doesn't work for me; it just made me more annoyed with them, especially the husband. More action and less dialogue would've easily brought my rating to a 4.
I did enjoy that ending though. Anyone familiar with my reviews knows that I loathe unfinished endings, but this time it was done right. *chef's kiss* I would be interested to read some of Mariko Koike's other works, or perhaps some of the others listed that were also translated from the original Japanese by Deborah Boliver Boehm. If you are looking for a book that makes you afraid to sit in the dark, this isn't the one for you, but if you just want a light scare and maybe some goosebumps, then definitely give this one a go.
This was one of those books where the main characters were not necessarily likeable, but you didn't hate them either. The kid and dog were sweet, but I strongly disliked the husband, and the wife was meh. I do think they were good parents though, so maybe that's why I didn't despise them like I probably should've. One thing that I did not feel was sorry for them. This was just karma making a house, or in this case, an apartment call.
The story started off strong, with spooky stuff happening pretty early on, but I felt a lot of the middle was too slowly paced: a lot of people having conversations about nothing, or trying to trick themselves into disbelieving the obviously sinister happenings going on. I mean in real life that does happen, but it makes for boring filler. I wonder if the author intended to make the story as realistic as possible, and therefore creepier for some people, but unfortunately that doesn't work for me; it just made me more annoyed with them, especially the husband. More action and less dialogue would've easily brought my rating to a 4.
I did enjoy that ending though. Anyone familiar with my reviews knows that I loathe unfinished endings, but this time it was done right. *chef's kiss* I would be interested to read some of Mariko Koike's other works, or perhaps some of the others listed that were also translated from the original Japanese by Deborah Boliver Boehm. If you are looking for a book that makes you afraid to sit in the dark, this isn't the one for you, but if you just want a light scare and maybe some goosebumps, then definitely give this one a go.
March 25, 2017
3.0 Stars
The book started out with a promising setup. The narrative was quite slow paced, but the premise initially kept me intrigued. Unfortunately, the story took too long to get going and never managed to create suspense or terror. For a translation, the writing was fairly clean. Overall, this was a good premise for a horror novel that failed in the execution.
The book started out with a promising setup. The narrative was quite slow paced, but the premise initially kept me intrigued. Unfortunately, the story took too long to get going and never managed to create suspense or terror. For a translation, the writing was fairly clean. Overall, this was a good premise for a horror novel that failed in the execution.
September 7, 2020
A couple and their young daughter move into a new apartment they have purchased for a very reasonable price. The compromise is that the building is located right next to a graveyard and temple. Strange things start to happen as soon as they move in but they skeptically brush them off until they develop into something they simply can't ignore. This something is not just creepy but also dangerous.
I really enjoyed this one and I thought the writing and the pacing were great. There are definitely some creepy scenes and it also has some unique elements that I wasn't expecting. The threat to the characters felt very real as did their isolation and the fact that they couldn't leave due to their financial situation and that no one would believe them if they described the things they had experienced. If I hadn't already known that this was written in 1986 I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if it had been written today. I would be interested to read more by this author!
I really enjoyed this one and I thought the writing and the pacing were great. There are definitely some creepy scenes and it also has some unique elements that I wasn't expecting. The threat to the characters felt very real as did their isolation and the fact that they couldn't leave due to their financial situation and that no one would believe them if they described the things they had experienced. If I hadn't already known that this was written in 1986 I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if it had been written today. I would be interested to read more by this author!
November 28, 2017
Nota real: 3.5
Una historia de terror típica, que sigue la premisa de muchas otras novelas, cuentos y películas.
Cuando una familia decide comprar un hermoso departamento ubicado al frente de un cementerio, no se imaginan los escalofriantes sucesos que empezarán a experimentar. En teoría, este libro tiene todo para ser un gran relato de terror y hay momentos verdaderamente inquietantes.
Por ejemplo, una escena, me recordó tal cual a lo que ocurre en la película Annabelle, cuando la protagonista baja al sótano del edificio, las luces se apagan, la actividad paranormal comienza y -por supuesto- en ese momento el elevador no responde. Quizá los productores se inspiraron en este libro (porque es anterior a la película). Del mismo modo, el elemento de tener una niña pequeña que es muy receptiva a los fantasmas y demonios, me hizo pensar en Poltergeist.
En fin, la verdad es que es una historia decente, con buenos momentos de tensión, pero a la cual le falta chispa. Estoy segura de que a muchos lectores no les encantará que el ritmo de las manifestaciones fantasmales sea lento. A mí, en particular, no me molestó. Sencillamente hubiera querido un poco más de desarrollo sobre la causa del fenómeno.
El final es original, por lo que aplaudo a la autora. En fin, este es de esos libros que mientras más pienso, me va gustando un poquito más, pero a la vez, mientras lo leía, no llegué a sentir la tensión que me han provocado otras historias similares dentro del género.
Una lectura decente para quienes estén buscando ampliar su panorama con autores japoneses de terror.
Una historia de terror típica, que sigue la premisa de muchas otras novelas, cuentos y películas.
Cuando una familia decide comprar un hermoso departamento ubicado al frente de un cementerio, no se imaginan los escalofriantes sucesos que empezarán a experimentar. En teoría, este libro tiene todo para ser un gran relato de terror y hay momentos verdaderamente inquietantes.
Por ejemplo, una escena, me recordó tal cual a lo que ocurre en la película Annabelle, cuando la protagonista baja al sótano del edificio, las luces se apagan, la actividad paranormal comienza y -por supuesto- en ese momento el elevador no responde. Quizá los productores se inspiraron en este libro (porque es anterior a la película). Del mismo modo, el elemento de tener una niña pequeña que es muy receptiva a los fantasmas y demonios, me hizo pensar en Poltergeist.
En fin, la verdad es que es una historia decente, con buenos momentos de tensión, pero a la cual le falta chispa. Estoy segura de que a muchos lectores no les encantará que el ritmo de las manifestaciones fantasmales sea lento. A mí, en particular, no me molestó. Sencillamente hubiera querido un poco más de desarrollo sobre la causa del fenómeno.
El final es original, por lo que aplaudo a la autora. En fin, este es de esos libros que mientras más pienso, me va gustando un poquito más, pero a la vez, mientras lo leía, no llegué a sentir la tensión que me han provocado otras historias similares dentro del género.
Una lectura decente para quienes estén buscando ampliar su panorama con autores japoneses de terror.
December 2, 2016
Saw this book on a list of "best horror novels" and gave it a try. It's possibly the translation but I could not connect to any of the characters. I think only Cookie the dog had any sort of survival instinct. I'm not one that requires every detail explained to me, especially supernatural, but it seemed like none of the exposition even mattered to the conflict or the awkward epilogue.
There was so much silliness. A basement that can only be accessed by an elevator (gee, I wonder if something bad will happen down there and the elevator stops working!), but then it turns out the ghosts could just magically seal the doors and windows anyway. That was one nitpicky detail that bothered me.
As the apartment was so over-powered and the characters so weak, there was no way they could triumph and therefore, no tension. I was casually waiting for people to be picked off, and almost everything that could have been interesting happened off-page or was implied. I really didn't need two chapters of house shopping and the custodian family looking for new jobs. There was no payoff for the extensive and repetitive exposition.
There was so much silliness. A basement that can only be accessed by an elevator (gee, I wonder if something bad will happen down there and the elevator stops working!), but then it turns out the ghosts could just magically seal the doors and windows anyway. That was one nitpicky detail that bothered me.
As the apartment was so over-powered and the characters so weak, there was no way they could triumph and therefore, no tension. I was casually waiting for people to be picked off, and almost everything that could have been interesting happened off-page or was implied. I really didn't need two chapters of house shopping and the custodian family looking for new jobs. There was no payoff for the extensive and repetitive exposition.
August 31, 2020
Thanks! I hate it!
October 1, 2018
2.5 stars, rounded up. The haunted house genre has morphed with the changing times to now include entire apartment buildings. It's really fertile territory, I just wish Koike did a little more with it. The creepy factor is there (just the thought of getting stuck in a basement is horrifying) and I thought the end really delivered (rare in horror) but an important part of a good horror novel is a non-horror narrative. There needs to be a story for our characters that is not just scary thing happens, another scary thing happens, etc till the end. Without any external stories or obstacles, the story is just a pile of plot that doesn't move forward.
If you haven't read much Japanese fiction in translation, this is one of the most accessible titles I've found. There's not a huge culture gap here and the writing is very straightforward.
If you haven't read much Japanese fiction in translation, this is one of the most accessible titles I've found. There's not a huge culture gap here and the writing is very straightforward.
February 27, 2023
My first review of the year! I've had this book on my shelves for a few years now and I'm happy I've finally gotten to read it. I picked this book up for the #Ayearathon readathon. The theme was benchwarmers. I was supposed to finish it in January, but I have been reading only on Sundays my physical books recently. This book is translated if you are working toward a readathon with that as a theme. This is my first time reading a book written by Mariko Koike and I would love to pick up another by her in the future. I'm giving this book 4 stars.
This book is set in Toyoko in the year 1987. I guess that would make this a historical fiction. Yikes! We are following the Kano family. Teppei, Misao and their daughter Tamao. They along with their dog Cookie move into a newly built Apartment Complex called Central Plaza Mansion right near a graveyard, Buddhist temple and a crematorium. Misao the wife already finds this move a bit awkward, but the property is affordable for the family and the accommodations are big enough for their family of three to even be called spacious at 900 sqft.
Daily life seems okay at first. Misao gets Tamao enrolled in the nearby school. Misao gets a part time job from home illustrating for a commercial company and the family make friends with neighbors downstairs that have children around Tamao's age. But then people start moving out.
The complex has 14 apartments and only 6 units were sold when the Kano family moved in. One by one the tenants move away with the knowledge that something sinister is in or around this building. Incident after incident start to occur and the ever skeptical Teppei starts to get annoyed.
Then one day he encounters an incident that he can't logically explain himself and finally believes what ever one else has been trying to convince him of. He decides that maybe the Kano family should too follow suit and move out. But they put all their money into this apartment. How will they leave before something really bad happens?
I really loved the slow build up of creepiness in this book and one of the reasons why I enjoy reading Asian horror to western horror.
If you like haunted house books definitely give this one a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.
This book is set in Toyoko in the year 1987. I guess that would make this a historical fiction. Yikes! We are following the Kano family. Teppei, Misao and their daughter Tamao. They along with their dog Cookie move into a newly built Apartment Complex called Central Plaza Mansion right near a graveyard, Buddhist temple and a crematorium. Misao the wife already finds this move a bit awkward, but the property is affordable for the family and the accommodations are big enough for their family of three to even be called spacious at 900 sqft.
Daily life seems okay at first. Misao gets Tamao enrolled in the nearby school. Misao gets a part time job from home illustrating for a commercial company and the family make friends with neighbors downstairs that have children around Tamao's age. But then people start moving out.
The complex has 14 apartments and only 6 units were sold when the Kano family moved in. One by one the tenants move away with the knowledge that something sinister is in or around this building. Incident after incident start to occur and the ever skeptical Teppei starts to get annoyed.
Then one day he encounters an incident that he can't logically explain himself and finally believes what ever one else has been trying to convince him of. He decides that maybe the Kano family should too follow suit and move out. But they put all their money into this apartment. How will they leave before something really bad happens?
I really loved the slow build up of creepiness in this book and one of the reasons why I enjoy reading Asian horror to western horror.
If you like haunted house books definitely give this one a try. I don't think you will be disappointed.
January 22, 2023
Oddly enough, everyone who sings that song seems to end up dead.
"The Graveyard Apartment" is excellent Japanese horror, served up with the slow burn of creeping dread and uneasiness and culminates in an explosive showdown between the last living residents of the apartment building, and the deathly inhabitants of the surrounding graveyard, crematorium, and temple shrine. My thanks to the readers at Literary Darkness for selecting this book for the next group read.
"The Graveyard Apartment" is excellent Japanese horror, served up with the slow burn of creeping dread and uneasiness and culminates in an explosive showdown between the last living residents of the apartment building, and the deathly inhabitants of the surrounding graveyard, crematorium, and temple shrine. My thanks to the readers at Literary Darkness for selecting this book for the next group read.
June 5, 2020
'The Graveyard Apartment' by Mariko Koike is a fun scary story about a haunted condominium building. It isn't graphic nor is the plot original, but the atmosphere is undeniably creepy.
In the book, the apartments are not called condominium units, but from the description of buying the apartments and having a mortgage it seems to me these 900-square foot apartments are condos.
Teppei Kano and his wife Misao are thrilled to have been approved for the mortgage to purchase an apartment in the Central Plaza Mansion! The apartments, fourteen to an eight-story building, two apartments to a floor, are luxury ones with every amenity!
But strangely, the units have been slow to sell. Well, the building IS right in the middle of a Buddhist graveyard and a crematorium, but the views and park-like grounds are lovely, everything being well-maintained.
Their daughter, five-year-old Tamao, suffered a disappointment in the inexplicable death of her pet bird, Pyoko, discovered the morning after they moved in. But she quickly was jollied out of her grief. Her dog Cookie was healthy and happy as is the rest of the family. Well, Misao is still occasionally haunted by the guilty memory of Reiko's suicide.
Misao is eager to turn over a new leaf in fixing up this sweet apartment! She had had to give up her job as an illustrator at the ad agency where Teppei and Misao both worked. She became a freelance illustrator after the scandal of their illicit relationship broke into the open after Teppei's first wife Reiko killed herself over Teppei's affair with Misao. After Teppei and Misao married, Misao quit her work when Tamao was born. Money is tight. The family had been living in a much smaller and less nice apartment. But now they have this really fine place!
But is it as fine as it seems? Strange things are happening in the basement. Weird things. And the building only has six units sold, but some of the people who own those apartments are putting their units up for sale. The television set sometimes acts peculiarly, with strange shadows appearing in the picture. The dog sometimes stares fixedly at.....what?
I liked this novel, published in 1986, but it is a little stiff in the translation from Japanese to English.
In a lot of ways, especially in the slow development of awareness that the building has a spooky and deadly something living in it besides people, the novel reminded me of the slow burn of the book Rosemary's Baby. The family meets people, Misao makes a friend, Teppei's brother and wife come to visit. However, it doesn't have quite the witty "gotcha" of Rosemary's Baby. Still, it is a pleasant little horror novel.
In the book, the apartments are not called condominium units, but from the description of buying the apartments and having a mortgage it seems to me these 900-square foot apartments are condos.
Teppei Kano and his wife Misao are thrilled to have been approved for the mortgage to purchase an apartment in the Central Plaza Mansion! The apartments, fourteen to an eight-story building, two apartments to a floor, are luxury ones with every amenity!
But strangely, the units have been slow to sell. Well, the building IS right in the middle of a Buddhist graveyard and a crematorium, but the views and park-like grounds are lovely, everything being well-maintained.
Their daughter, five-year-old Tamao, suffered a disappointment in the inexplicable death of her pet bird, Pyoko, discovered the morning after they moved in. But she quickly was jollied out of her grief. Her dog Cookie was healthy and happy as is the rest of the family. Well, Misao is still occasionally haunted by the guilty memory of Reiko's suicide.
Misao is eager to turn over a new leaf in fixing up this sweet apartment! She had had to give up her job as an illustrator at the ad agency where Teppei and Misao both worked. She became a freelance illustrator after the scandal of their illicit relationship broke into the open after Teppei's first wife Reiko killed herself over Teppei's affair with Misao. After Teppei and Misao married, Misao quit her work when Tamao was born. Money is tight. The family had been living in a much smaller and less nice apartment. But now they have this really fine place!
But is it as fine as it seems? Strange things are happening in the basement. Weird things. And the building only has six units sold, but some of the people who own those apartments are putting their units up for sale. The television set sometimes acts peculiarly, with strange shadows appearing in the picture. The dog sometimes stares fixedly at.....what?
I liked this novel, published in 1986, but it is a little stiff in the translation from Japanese to English.
In a lot of ways, especially in the slow development of awareness that the building has a spooky and deadly something living in it besides people, the novel reminded me of the slow burn of the book Rosemary's Baby. The family meets people, Misao makes a friend, Teppei's brother and wife come to visit. However, it doesn't have quite the witty "gotcha" of Rosemary's Baby. Still, it is a pleasant little horror novel.
November 23, 2018
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.
September 24, 2016
I have mixed feelings on this one. A husband, wife, their young daughter, and dog Cookie (who is the only character's name I can spell or pronounce) move into a beautiful brand new apartment which overlooks a graveyard and crematorium. In fact on some days you can see the smoke of burning bodies drifting towards the windows. From the minute they move in odd things start happening. Their pet bird dies their very first night in their new home, and as if that is not enough of a bad omen, right away the mom hears of a tragedy that occurred when a child in the neighborhood was killed on his way to kindergarten. They want to leave.. but something seems intent on making them stay.The book definitely held my interest however I expected it to be scarier. Some of the scariest horror movies have come from Japan and have Americanized versions so I guess I expected the same from this book. The terror factor just wasn't there for me. I would occasionally come upon a word that just seemed an odd choice. I don't know if something was lost in translation from Japanese or if it is due to the time period of the book (late 80s) but some things just seemed a bit off. For example I don't think little girls still said things like "oh goody" Of course I could be wrong but I just don't think I have heard that since maybe the last time I watched an old black and white 50s sit com. When I first started the book I kind of stalled each time I came to a name, and tried to sound it out and figure out how to pronounce it. I don't have a clue how to pronounce Japanese names so I gave up and began to think of the main characters as Maisy, Terry and Tammy. I can't say I actually liked any of the characters, including the brother and his wife. This was not a "bad" book it was just not very scary.
I would rate it 3 and a half of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy for review.
I would rate it 3 and a half of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy for review.
November 1, 2016
I have a fondness for Japanese horror and noir novels. While this is my first time reading Mariko Koike, other favorites include Natsuo Kirino, Koji Suzuki, Ryu Murakami, Hideaki Sena, and Otsuichi. The thing is, I don't recommend the Japanese horror and noir books to everyone.
Like many of the authors I've listed here, Koike's fiction is dark, edgy, and uncomfortable. Set in contemporary Japan (note, the book was written in 1986, but is still modern and contemporary), it shows us what happens when a thoroughly modern young family faces very dark, supernatural forces. There's a bit of seediness in their story that eventually separates us a little from this little family and you're faced with the uncomfortable feeling that maybe...just maybe...some of what happens is deserved.
Unlike many American books, what happens isn't concrete and explained and tied up neatly with a bow on top. And if there is a bow, it's probably made of something dark, red, and glistening. But while not neatly explained, the things that happen in the book are creepy and unrelenting and if it happened to you, you'd be downright terrified.
Again, not your typical American horror. It's very Japanese and may not suit all tastes. But if you have a love for horror, edge, and can take a less concrete story, it's highly recommended.
I'll be looking for more of Koike's books in the future.
*Advanced Reader Copy Provided by Net Galley
Like many of the authors I've listed here, Koike's fiction is dark, edgy, and uncomfortable. Set in contemporary Japan (note, the book was written in 1986, but is still modern and contemporary), it shows us what happens when a thoroughly modern young family faces very dark, supernatural forces. There's a bit of seediness in their story that eventually separates us a little from this little family and you're faced with the uncomfortable feeling that maybe...just maybe...some of what happens is deserved.
Unlike many American books, what happens isn't concrete and explained and tied up neatly with a bow on top. And if there is a bow, it's probably made of something dark, red, and glistening. But while not neatly explained, the things that happen in the book are creepy and unrelenting and if it happened to you, you'd be downright terrified.
Again, not your typical American horror. It's very Japanese and may not suit all tastes. But if you have a love for horror, edge, and can take a less concrete story, it's highly recommended.
I'll be looking for more of Koike's books in the future.
*Advanced Reader Copy Provided by Net Galley
March 14, 2017
I would have rated this book higher if the writing was a little better. I suspect that the fault lies with the translation, though. The text read as a little dry when describing creepy scenes or even just basic moments. But what I liked about the book was:
The insight into Japanese culture, which I know little about;
The main characters had an interesting background that made them complex and the author risked making them very unsympathetic characters because of it;
The creepy scenes in the basement;
The ending
& the doggie :D ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE DOG!!!!!!!
There were some parts to the story that I thought would be developed further but they weren't (e.g. ), so that was a little disappointing.
The insight into Japanese culture, which I know little about;
The main characters had an interesting background that made them complex and the author risked making them very unsympathetic characters because of it;
The creepy scenes in the basement;
The ending
& the doggie :D ALWAYS LISTEN TO THE DOG!!!!!!!
There were some parts to the story that I thought would be developed further but they weren't (e.g. ), so that was a little disappointing.
October 31, 2016
Translated by Deborah Boliver Boehm
The nitty-gritty: An atmospheric and creepy ghost story that kept me turning the pages, but ultimately suffered from awkward writing and plotting.
I thought it would be nice to close out the month with a ghost story, especially since today is Halloween! I was initially drawn to The Graveyard Apartment because of the chilling cover art, depicting an apartment building set against a stormy sky, smack dab in the middle of a cemetery. The book was originally published in Japan in 1986, and this is the first English translation, so right away there is an old-fashioned vibe to the story. Koike has a fantastic set-up for a horror story: a young married couple purchase a large apartment in a building that is, unfortunately, right near a cemetery/crematorium/Buddhist temple. And while there are plenty of chills and lots of suspense, this was ultimately a mixed bag for me. I had some issues with the translation and writing, which affected the pacing and interrupted the flow of the story.
Teppei and Misao Kano have just purchased a large apartment that appears ideal. Despite being located next to a graveyard, the park-like setting is just what the young family was looking for, with plenty of room outside for their dog Cookie and daughter Tamao to play. But no sooner does the family move in than weird things start to happen. Their pet finch Pyoko dies mysteriously their first night in the apartment, and the building’s one elevator tends to get stuck at the worst possible times, when someone goes down to the basement, for example. Soon after Pyoko’s death, Tamao tells her mother that Pyoko is coming to visit her at night, and even though Misao and Teppei laugh this off as childish imagination, Misao finds bird feathers in odd places around the apartment.
When Tamao is mysteriously injured in the basement, Misao begins to wonder if they’ve made the wrong decision, moving into an apartment in such an unusual location. As the other tenants begin to move out one by one, each unsettled by a vague feeling of unease, the Kano family realizes that they are the last ones left. But their attempts to move out as well are thwarted again and again. Something otherworldly is in the basement, and that something does not want them to leave—ever.
When I started reading this book, I was immediately reminded of a Japanese horror film called Dark Water, another story about a haunted apartment building. That movie scared the pants off me, and I loved that this story had the same eerie feel to it. Koike tells her tale from multiple points of view, which works really well. Her cast of characters is fairly large, but getting into each of their heads helps to establish the relationships between them, as well as gauge their different reactions to the mysterious things that are happening in the Central Plaza Mansion.
One of the more interesting, well-thought out backstories was a tragedy that has colored Teppei’s and Misao’s relationship and continues to be a source of sadness between them. The two met and began an affair when Teppei was still married to another woman named Reiko, and when she found out about the relationship, she committed suicide. Misao feels all sorts of guilt over her part in Reiko’s death, and to compensate she sets up a shrine in Reiko’s honor in a corner of their apartment. When strange things start happening to them, Misao’s first thought is that Reiko must be haunting them. The aftermath of the suicide even spills over into other relationships. Teppei’s brother, a very unpleasant man named Tatsuji, continues to blame both of them for what happened to Reiko, and even Misao’s mother, a wretched human being who thankfully only appears offstage, continues, years later, to blame her daughter for the tragedy. The story didn’t have anything to do with the creepy apartment, but it added another layer to relationships that are already fraught with tension.
But as much fun as I had devouring this book—and really, it was a quick read—I had some issues with it. Probably my biggest complaint is the writing. I have a feeling that if you were to read this in the original Japanese (assuming you can read Japanese, of course!), the story would flow much better. But the translation was tough for me, and I got the feeling that the translator often took slang phases and translated them word for word, without first trying to understand the context. For example, there was one phrase that I actually Googled to see if it was real (my results were inconclusive). When Tamao gets hurt in the basement, she goes to the hospital for stitches, and the doctor tells the family that she must have been injured by a “weasel slash.” Apparently a weasel slash is the term for a wind that kicks up out of nowhere, a wind that contains odd bits of shrapnel. The doctor thinks this is the only explanation for the deep cut on Tamao’s knee, an injury that happened in the basement where there are no windows, and therefore no way for winds to blow in. I could have let that go, but the author kept bringing up the term over and over again. I think this might relate to a Japanese legend, but it was so odd that it pulled me out of the story.
The dialog was also very different from what I usually read, and I have to attribute this in part to the formality of the Japanese, especially when speaking to non-family members. However, even some of the scenes between Teppei and Misao felt stilted and uncomfortable. I often talk about how much I love well done dialog, and for the most part, the dialog in The Graveyard Apartment didn’t work for me at all.
And yet, I just couldn’t stop reading! Despite my issues, I found this to be an extremely unsettling story. The supernatural occurrences didn’t always make sense, but they did creep me out. I honestly had no idea where the story was headed, and when it got there, at the last page, I was grateful to the author for ending things the way she did. She could have taken it in the expected direction, but she didn’t. And one thing's for sure: I'll never feel completely safe in an elevator again...
If you’re looking for a spooky, addictive read, steeped in Japanese traditions, and you don’t focus too much on the translation, then you’ll probably have a great time with this book.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
July 28, 2021
This is a slow-burn horror novel that escalates the dread little by little until it's unbearable. Truly horrifying, it's not a haunted house story, it's the whole building. Not suitable for impressionable people.
October 4, 2016
I had mixed feelings when it came to deciding how I wanted to rate this one...
The Graveyard Apartment: A Novel caught my eye because I love J-Horror, and the idea of a book centered around the occupants of an almost empty building, across from a graveyard??? Count me in! So here I am, assuming that that means I'll get a lot of supernatural moments. Moments that typically start off small in that 'did I imagine it?' sense, building up to a full-blown haunting that terrorizes and terrifies all in its path.
Did I get this type of story?
Let's say 'yes' and 'no'.
'Yes' in the sense that the hauntings accelerated, but in a strange rapid rate. And 'no' being because it didn't seem to have that middle area that has you finally deciding that maybe, just maybe the apartment building is haunted.
So what exactly is this book about, other than the somewhat obvious title? Let me tell you a little about it.
Central Plaza Mansion is a relatively new apartment building catering to the more budget-minded Tokyo residents who may be looking for an affordable, yet surprisingly spacious floor plan that would be extremely hard to find in a city where real estate is not at all cheap. There is one catch, though, the fact that it is built across from a graveyard with a Buddhist temple as well as a crematorium.
The Kano family, consisting of husband and wife, Teppei and Misao, and their young daughter Tamao, move into the building after putting all their money into purchasing it.
Initially, the place seems perfect though there are surprisingly few occupants scattered throughout. But Misao slowly finds herself being unnerved by the odd things she hears from her daughter, and the strange things she's slowly being to notice about her new home. After several large terrifying incidents, we come to the conclusion that the place is haunted, and once we figure that, it's a full-blown supernatural riot, and the terrified family must decide whether to stay or go.
Personally, the idea of living across from a graveyard doesn't really bother me all that much, so I would probably be one of the people wanting to take advantage of a more affordable, spacious apartment in Tokyo (if they are anything like the small Okinawan homes I've seen when visiting family in Japan, then I definitely understand the desire for more space). But obviously, this story isn't so cut and dry, so the building is haunted and being that I've never experienced anything ghostly myself...maybe I'd want to take back the idea of living in such a place.
That being said, I tried to imagine being in this building when the different encounters occurred. I tried to imagine the terror. But honestly, the scenes felt so flat and contrived. The escalating occurrences were just not scary to me. I did try telling myself that this book was originally written in 1986, so maybe it would be a bit old-fashioned, but I should be able to get past that and recognize something as scary, but I couldn't, and really, it shouldn't matter how long ago a story came out, cause if it's scary, it's scary. And this one just wasn't.
The characters were annoying , the supernatural moments were subpar, and when it ended, all I could think was, seriously?! There were several things that were mentioned earlier in the book, but then we never hear anything about them ever again. What about Pyoko? (I'll hide the rest of my unanswered questions, since they may be a bit spoiler-y unless you've read the book)
I wanted to love this book so much, but unfortunately, I just couldn't. Too many negatives, and I can only really give props to the fact that the premise is very interesting, though in my opinion, poorly executed.
I received this copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to both.
The Graveyard Apartment: A Novel caught my eye because I love J-Horror, and the idea of a book centered around the occupants of an almost empty building, across from a graveyard??? Count me in! So here I am, assuming that that means I'll get a lot of supernatural moments. Moments that typically start off small in that 'did I imagine it?' sense, building up to a full-blown haunting that terrorizes and terrifies all in its path.
Did I get this type of story?
Let's say 'yes' and 'no'.
'Yes' in the sense that the hauntings accelerated, but in a strange rapid rate. And 'no' being because it didn't seem to have that middle area that has you finally deciding that maybe, just maybe the apartment building is haunted.
So what exactly is this book about, other than the somewhat obvious title? Let me tell you a little about it.
Central Plaza Mansion is a relatively new apartment building catering to the more budget-minded Tokyo residents who may be looking for an affordable, yet surprisingly spacious floor plan that would be extremely hard to find in a city where real estate is not at all cheap. There is one catch, though, the fact that it is built across from a graveyard with a Buddhist temple as well as a crematorium.
The Kano family, consisting of husband and wife, Teppei and Misao, and their young daughter Tamao, move into the building after putting all their money into purchasing it.
Initially, the place seems perfect though there are surprisingly few occupants scattered throughout. But Misao slowly finds herself being unnerved by the odd things she hears from her daughter, and the strange things she's slowly being to notice about her new home. After several large terrifying incidents, we come to the conclusion that the place is haunted, and once we figure that, it's a full-blown supernatural riot, and the terrified family must decide whether to stay or go.
Personally, the idea of living across from a graveyard doesn't really bother me all that much, so I would probably be one of the people wanting to take advantage of a more affordable, spacious apartment in Tokyo (if they are anything like the small Okinawan homes I've seen when visiting family in Japan, then I definitely understand the desire for more space). But obviously, this story isn't so cut and dry, so the building is haunted and being that I've never experienced anything ghostly myself...maybe I'd want to take back the idea of living in such a place.
That being said, I tried to imagine being in this building when the different encounters occurred. I tried to imagine the terror. But honestly, the scenes felt so flat and contrived. The escalating occurrences were just not scary to me. I did try telling myself that this book was originally written in 1986, so maybe it would be a bit old-fashioned, but I should be able to get past that and recognize something as scary, but I couldn't, and really, it shouldn't matter how long ago a story came out, cause if it's scary, it's scary. And this one just wasn't.
The characters were annoying , the supernatural moments were subpar, and when it ended, all I could think was, seriously?! There were several things that were mentioned earlier in the book, but then we never hear anything about them ever again. What about Pyoko? (I'll hide the rest of my unanswered questions, since they may be a bit spoiler-y unless you've read the book)
I wanted to love this book so much, but unfortunately, I just couldn't. Too many negatives, and I can only really give props to the fact that the premise is very interesting, though in my opinion, poorly executed.
I received this copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to both.
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