Thankful for the literary analysis posts in the forum, which brought a whole new layer to my understanding of this book. Wish I had read this in English class, but the group discussion on Pagebound makes up for it 🙂‍↕️

I love the premise and creativity of exploring a mystery from artifacts. Here we have the internet artifact of a forgotten blog as well as hand-drawn pictures from multiple characters, years apart. A myriad of people stumble upon these artifacts, from a child psychologist to a university student, a schoolteacher to a journalist. All are drawn into moments of this story, and their insights reveal a sliver of the mystery. Very impressive to be able to tie so many threads together in a concise, tight package. Reading this book felt like the definition of seeing a puzzle come together, with many characters putting a piece in place, and the reader stepping back to get a full picture of the person at the center of the story.

As an aficionado of the classic British whodunnit and a big fan of the sparse, distinct prose of Japanese translated fiction, Strange Houses was the perfect little appetizer to get me hooked on Uketsu. I loved how unique and uncanny this story was. The interactivity of the floor plans and direct to reader style “what do you notice as strange?” gave me the feeling I’ve always wanted of being a detective alongside the ones in the story.

While the premise is far-fetched, and I can see from other reviews that it didn’t work for everyone, I think the immediate, wild speculation to depravity and darkness adds to the horror element of the book. Rather than staying purely detective mystery, Uketsu brings in elements of scary stories, the inherent unknowableness of other people and what goes on in the house next door. This intentionally uncanny setup makes it seem like anything is possible.