Book Review | Strange Houses by Uketsu

The narrator examines a spacious, bright house for sale in Tokyo at the behest of his friend. But upon closer inspection, the floor plans reveal a mysterious “dead space” hidden between its walls. He and his friend Kurihara begin investigating — a quest that leads them to a shocking discovery.

But there was one thing on the floor plan that bothered them. On the first floor, there was a mysterious dead space between the kitchen and living room. It had no doors, so it was completely inaccessible.

Like Strange Pictures (which I had enjoyed), this book also contains illustrations and diagrams that accompany the story. They are pretty creepy! Unlike Strange Pictures though, this book depicts one story throughout, where four sections represent four houses — each with its own puzzle.

The plot is pretty straightforward at first, where the main characters are examining the floor plans of a house that seem… off. I wish there were a gradual reveal of the first house’s secrets, as it’s done very quickly, without much suspense. It felt like a leap of logic for them to come to that conclusion. Then they receive a letter from a woman who claims to know more about what’s going on. Who is she, and can she be trusted?

The subsequent houses were more interesting, especially ‘The House of the Altar’, which uncovers layers of family secrets and deception. The story gets more complex at this point because you are introduced to a large number of characters who are tangibly connected. What I found fascinating is the added weight of cultural factors that provide the foundation for the characters’ beliefs and behaviours. I really like how Japanese folklore is incorporated into the mystery in a way that eventually proved to be horrifying. However, it gets convoluted at the end, and I wish certain aspects were expanded to give more weight to the revelations. But I thought the surprising afterword makes up for it. Who can you trust to hear your story — and who can you trust to tell it?

Strange Houses is a visually intriguing mystery that invites you to investigate along with the characters. Give this a try and see if you can solve the case!

About the author: Uketsu

Translated by Jim Rion

Photo by Ryunosuke Kikuno