乙一

Goth is a collection of stories revolving around a pair of teen-aged sociopaths. Morino and her classmate have no discernible emotions and a fascination with death and violent crime, and investigate it whenever such an incident comes their way. But they have no interest in stopping the criminals, nor assisting law enforcement. They do so only to sate their own curiosity.

I probably don't need to mention at this point that the protagonists (if you could call them that) are not a likeable duo, show more but they are compelling. I don't know what kind of psychological education the author has had, if any, but he gets inside their heads, as well as those of the killers they encounter, in a deeply convincing way.

One interesting feature of these stories is that they are told entirely in first person. That's not unusual, but what is is that the point of view changes regularly without warning or any clue that it has done, and it will take a bit of work on the part of the reader to puzzle out whose perspective he or she is experiencing. Sometimes the author deliberately misleads the reader, and there is one story, perhaps two, where you will have gotten it entirely wrong until you get to the very end. It makes you want to read it again to see how it all works.

This is a grim book that goes to very dark places. There is some gore, but it was the deviant psychological aspect I found most disquieting. Recommended for those who feel up to it. show less

“Far off in the distance, the skies overhead had begun to fade from black into a deep navy blue. It was that most fragile time of night, just before the first rays of morning light crept up over the horizon, and for a moment, I could almost see her there with us — that pale, fleeting specter I once knew.”

Beautifully written, laced with understanding and empathy, with heartrending moments scattered throughout, this is the kind of story never forgotten by any reader, and held dear in show more memory. If the premise has put you off, thinking it wouldn’t be your type of book, you may be in for quite a change of heart once you read it.

Summer Ghost is one of those “light” Japanese novels that is deceptively not light at all. While the subject matter of three teens who, for varied reasons, are all planning on ending their lives, might seem maudlin and depressing, it is tender and resonating, with a narrative both involving, exciting, and sad. But it is also uplifting, and dare I say it about a Japanese light novel concerning three young people making plans to end it all — life-affirming. Yes, you read that correctly.

Hirotaka Adachi has captured in his three protagonists something relatable and real, and endearing. His greatest achievement here in this light novel however, is showing how difficult a period this is for young people, and the aspects of life which at that age, can make their lives seem unbearable.

Ryo-kun is dying and can’t stop it. He feels cheated by life, and wants to end it on his own terms before things become so terrible that he has no say.

Aoi-san is a sweet and gentle, sensitive young girl who is so bullied at school that she has become mostly truant, and spends most of her days alone.

Tomoya-kun, through whose eyes we are told the story of that summer, has what at first appears to be a much less substantive reason — he is simply already tired of life. His reasons become more relatable however as we learn of the tremendous academic pressure being placed on him by his mother, and worse, her harsh attitude toward his artistic drawings, and aspirations, which is the one thing he loves most in life.

Aoi-San’s parents seem a non-factor, not even caring enough to worry about her constant truancy. Tomoya-kun’s father is no longer with his mother, and is Catholic.

They meet in a chat room and their friendship and purpose begins. There is much here from Tomoya-kun that seems bitter in regard to God, His existence, whether there is a hereafter, whether he owes his life to anyone other than himself, and it rings true from the struggling teens, who don’t yet have any answers. In the case of Ryo, he may not have time to discover the answers anyway.

Because none of the three want to leave this mortal coil without at least a glimpse of what might lie beyond, they decide to find out if all the stories about the Summer Ghost are indeed true. She supposedly killed herself, and is rumored to appear at the old abandoned airfield only during summer, and only when you light fireworks

We learn a little about Oban, the Japanese Festival of the Dead, and how it relates to other such celebrations of the spirit world around the globe. The interactions of the kids, their matter-of-fact purpose, are all spot-on. Adachi makes us care about these three the more we get to know them, and we don’t want to let go of them.

“Perhaps the fireworks we lit here at the abandoned airfield had a similar but opposite effect for wandering souls like Ayane’s — a light to guide her safely down to the earth, like runway beacons for airplanes in the night.”

Ayane not only appears, but for the first time, she can interact with the living. The reason she can interact with them is a sobering one, which brings us back to the shared planned destiny of the three friends. They have questions for her, and Tomoya-kun begins to like her very much. This leads to a shocking revelation which contradicts the rumors. There is, after all, a reason Ayane is stuck between the layers of the afterlife. The reason is both heartbreaking and horrifying.

Helping her becomes all, leading to a thrilling, almost magical search that is as beautiful as it is gritty and resonating. I really can’t say any more without getting into true spoiler territory, nor can I tell you the fate of these three who, at least for the moment, remain among the living. I suspect however that most readers will get a bit misty-eyed toward the end of this story, and will be greatly surprised at the feelings and overall message of Summer Ghost.

Perhaps it is “just” a Japanese light novel, but Summer Ghost is also a moving and memorable story for both young and older adults. If you’re an older adult, wondering if this is an appropriate read for a teen or pre-teen, my suggestion would be to read it for yourself, then decide.

Perhaps Summer Ghost and its subject matter isn’t suited for some, while others regard it with as much affection as I now do. Summer Ghost is a book which is also art, and the portrait painted with words is moving and timeless. A masterpiece. show less

A collection of three short stories of varying length and creepiness level, this was a truly perfect addition to my find-horror-stories-that-impress-me quest.

"Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse" is told from a dead girl's perspective, as she follow's her killers make increasingly unrealistic plans to hide her body.

"Yuko" tells the story of a maid whose master's odd behaviour leads her down a rabbit-hole of investigations. *cue ominous sound effects*

"Black Fairytale" is an extremely show more disturbing story told from multiple perspectives, about a girl who starts seeing strange things following an eye transplant.

I may have mentioned before, that horror stories in print rarely leave a lasting impression on me, even though scary movies have me twitch and jump 10 minutes in. So I'm always on the lookout for just the right mix of horror to send shivers down my back, without leading to serious nightmares.

For reference, most of my nightmares stem from fairly mundane real life memories, while gore imagery only tends to get me mildly intrigued. So what you consider hair-raising, it might just achieve a raised eyebrow from me. *insert dubious smile*

For this reason, I really enjoyed the order in which the stories were presented, steadily upping the gore and creepiness factors. The first story is not particularly graphic, with the unsettling feelings caused by the culprits' young age. The second story reveals all its creepiness in hindsight, due to the narrator's highly unreliable (and rumor-prone) nature. And finally, in the third story, the author completely immerses the reader into all sorts of spine tingling terror and gore.

Score: 4.3/5 stars

For all that I enjoyed the heightened creepiness factor, that came with additional revelations in each story's epilogue, it also felt a bit like cheating. Some more consistent clues linking events wouldn't have gone amiss. Plus, the "loss of eye" premise from "Black Fairytale" screamed lack of credibility from all its pores.

On a more positive (hah!) note: I suspect this is the sign I've been waiting for to finally give the original Ring a go. *cue preemptive shuddering* show less

Goth is made up of a series of short stories, wherein two antisocial classmates share a disturbing hobby of investigating creepy and downright grisly crimes: a serial killer, a hand-fetishist, mysterious dog disappearances, a suicide from long ago, a grave digger, a dead sister's last message and a photographer.

While the crimes themselves are scary enough, the whole story gets an even creepier edge, when recounted from the two teenagers' dispassionate point of view. You see, their goal is show more merely that of getting a closer look at things, not that of reporting any of the crimes. Taking care not to interfere, even in cases where someone with more empathy definitely would have...

You may have heard me mention my inability to properly enjoy horror stories in written format, despite getting easily scared by horror movies. So this was yet another attempt to get me into the mood. And it succeeded... to a certain degree.

As a whole, I liked the premise of every single story, but some of them fell a bit flat in their execution:
- starting a complex thread that ends much too simplistically (Goth)
- playing around with narrative perspectives to the point of utter confusion (Voice)
- getting into a weird pissing contest (Morino's Souvenir Photo)

That being said, I'm a big fan of the unexpected perspective shift from Dog, where the final reveal ended up completely blindsiding me. And of course Memory/Twins totally nailed the mix of haunted and peaceful atmosphere in the country-side.

Score: 3.5/5 stars

I ended up liking most of the stories in the book, and would have probably found them right at home in one of those ghost story anime episodes.

As for my initial expectations, I didn't exactly jump out of my seat at any point, but I did get disgusted at some of the more graphic depictions of violence. Especially when animals were involved. So at least the book has fully earned its place on my horror shelf. show less