Japanese Gothic

Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker, 352 pages

In one house, 150 years apart, two young adults are living through their own horror stories. In 1877, Sen is a young female samurai, hiding from the imperial forces when her father takes a monstrous turn, placing her between the danger of her father and the soldiers, either one of whom could kill her whole family. In 2026, Lee has retreated to the same house with no recollection of why or how he killed his roommate, but sure that his father's new home will provide sanctuary from investigators half a world away. When the two meet, they discover that they may be able to help each other, whether it's through searching the archives to find out how and when Sen's family died or helping Lee sort through his untrustworthy memory.

The idea of this book is really interesting, and I thought it played out well. It was definitely atmospheric and creepy at times, and there was true horror as the falsehoods were stripped away. I don't know that it's the best example of the horror genre, as the plot beats were a bit too predictable, but it was definitely an enjoyable read.

Such a Perfect Family

Such a Perfect Family by Nalini Singh, 384 pages

After a whirlwind romance, Tavish has married the woman of his dreams and moved in with her parents on the other side of the world while the newlyweds try to find a home of their own. However, it literally all goes up in flames when Tavish returns home from an errand to find the house ablaze, killing his new in-laws and putting his wife in a coma. While he tries to figure out exactly who may have set this fire, Tavish's checkered past (full of wealthy women dying and leaving him all kinds of riches) may be catching up to him, making him a prime suspect in the arson.

I read this a couple months back and I'll admit that I had to look up the summary to get that paragraph written. It was a disjointed story with unreliable and largely unlikeable characters, and other than the exotic locale (Philippines? New Zealand? Maybe both?), it's completely forgettable. Meh.

 

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926) 288 pages

I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Charles Armstrong. Classic murder mystery with private detective Hercule Poirot. It plays with mystery tropes that were already recognized in the 1920s such as "the butler did it." Early on suspicion seems to fall on the butler, until each other family member or staff of the victim is forced to reveal their secrets. But who ultimately killed Roger Ackroyd?
 

Murder Mysteries

Murder Mysteries by Neil Gaiman, art by P. Craig Russell, 64 pages

This graphic adaptation of Gaiman's short story focuses on what may be the original murder, back before Cain and Abel, to the angels who were creating the concept of death. The tale of this angelic death comes to the story's narrator via a wandering possibly homeless man during the narrator's weeklong forced layover in Los Angeles. The wanderer claims to be the angel that investigated the murder, and tells the story as payment for a cigarette.

In less capable hands, this whole story could be put down to a crazy man's ramblings. But when Gaiman tells this sort of story — actually, any sort of story — the impossible becomes possible and the unbelievable becomes likely true. While Russell's artwork doesn't really detract from the story, it doesn't add much either, particularly because so much of the angelic environment cannot be shown. I would love to hear this as the radio play that Gaiman originally created though.

The Ruining

The Ruining by Anna Collomore; young adult, psychological suspense; 336 pages

After growing up in the housing projects of Detroit, Annie's life is finally looking up:  she's been accepted into college in San Fransisco, and has landed a job as a live-in nanny for the wealthy Cohens to help pay for it.  But the more time Annie spends with young, glamorous Mrs. Cohen, the more things start to seem off.  But Annie can't tell if things are really as strange as they seem, or if the problem lies with her. 

I started out with high hopes for this book:  one review I read said it was a retelling of The Yellow Wallpaper, one of my favorite horror stories of all time.  And Collomore does a great job of capturing the surreal qualities of that book--Annie narrates, and as the book goes on, it's clear that reality is starting to blur and her own mind can't be trusted.  It's a chilling, suspenseful read that made the first 4/5s of this book riveting.  The last 50 pages, though, were kind of a let-down.  I won't spoil the ending, except to say that Collomore wraps things up much more neatly than Charlotte Perkins Gilmore, and it all feels a little too perfect (so much so that I was waiting for one last twist, right up until the last sentence--but it never came).  I still recommend this--as I said it's a terrifying horror story--but be prepared for a rushed, too-happy the ending. 

My only other complaint is about the cover.  The swimming pool at the house plays a pretty important role in the story, and I love the symbolism of Annie slowing sinking under, but the model they used seems to be another case of whitewashing in YA book covers.  The one and only description we get of Annie describes her as having "olive skin and dark hair," so it seems like they could have chosen a better model. 

Recommended for anyone looking for good psychological horror, or who loved The Yellow Wallpaper as much as I did.