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In these haunting stories, two teenagers linked by an obsession with murder and torture explore the recesses of humanity's dark side.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2002
467 people are currently reading
17782 people want to read
About the author
Otsuichi
82?books697?followersOtsuichi (乙一, Otsuichi?), also known as Eiichi Nakata and Asako Yamashiro, is the pen-name of Hirotaka Adachi (安達 寛高), born 1978.
He is a Japanese writer, mostly of horror short stories. He made his debut with Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse while still in high school.
Major works include the novel Goth, which was made into a manga, and the short story collection Zoo, which was made into a movie.
Tokyopop has released his short story collection Calling You, and will release Goth in November. His short story F-Sensei's Pocket appears in the English language edition of Faust.
Associated Names:
* Otsuichi
* 乙一 (Japanese Profile)
* ????? ???? (Thai Profile)
He is a Japanese writer, mostly of horror short stories. He made his debut with Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse while still in high school.
Major works include the novel Goth, which was made into a manga, and the short story collection Zoo, which was made into a movie.
Tokyopop has released his short story collection Calling You, and will release Goth in November. His short story F-Sensei's Pocket appears in the English language edition of Faust.
Associated Names:
* Otsuichi
* 乙一 (Japanese Profile)
* ????? ???? (Thai Profile)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 998 reviews
August 3, 2022
Honestly I was expecting more... more than just gore. I love reading gorey story provided the fact that there should be substance and characterization to the story.
2.25 stars
pre review :-
I decided to read this book for Halloween
Month and its Christmas now. Well at least I am here.
pre-pre review :-
Happy horrifying Halloween Day! October has arrived, and while I don't celebrate Halloween, it's all over bookstagram and 欧宝娱乐, so lets dive into bandwagon..
2.25 stars
pre review :-
I decided to read this book for Halloween
Month and its Christmas now. Well at least I am here.
pre-pre review :-
Happy horrifying Halloween Day! October has arrived, and while I don't celebrate Halloween, it's all over bookstagram and 欧宝娱乐, so lets dive into bandwagon..
December 11, 2017
Can you both simultaneously love and hate something? Such is my reaction to Goth. The prose is great, the narrative interesting...but this book is creepy. Effing creepy. And, to be fair, I know it says "A Novel of Horror" right on the cover, but really, it's published by Tokyopop. How bad could it possibly be?
Oh, silly, naive past me.
The thing that makes this book so page-turningly horrific is not a focus on fantasy, like many genre-specific Japanese stories that American audiences are familiar with, but rather exploring the depths of human cruelty and psychosis and the awful, *awful* things people can do to one another. There are no cursed wells, no supernatural beings, just plain ole people being downright gruesome.
This book is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. I cannot stress this enough. That said, if you can get past a bit of torture porn, you'll discover that the real gem of this book is the author's ability to craft a shocking, engaging mystery full of twists and turns guaranteed to leave you guessing and keep your adrenaline pumping. The stories are interesting and well-crafted, centered around (but not exclusive to) two main characters who are neither likable or empathetic, but keep you engaged from start to finish.
My only real complaint about this book, aside from the obvious gore (with still has me twitching in recollection), is the title itself. Having grown up with the "Goth" movement, having friends involved in the subculture, I was disappointed at how little the book actually had to do with Goths themselves. One character dresses primarily in black, and there's talk of death...and that's pretty much it. Love it or hate it, the Goth movement is so much more than that. The title is more of a selling point, a way for the author to reel in his audience with something flashy and familiar, a fact he readily admits and apologizes for in the author notes. If you're looking for a deeper exploration of the topic you're in for a rude (and rather grotesque) awakening. However, if you want to read a well-crafted collection of gut-churning horror stories, I'd recommend this book.
Oh, silly, naive past me.
The thing that makes this book so page-turningly horrific is not a focus on fantasy, like many genre-specific Japanese stories that American audiences are familiar with, but rather exploring the depths of human cruelty and psychosis and the awful, *awful* things people can do to one another. There are no cursed wells, no supernatural beings, just plain ole people being downright gruesome.
This book is not for the faint of heart or the weak of stomach. I cannot stress this enough. That said, if you can get past a bit of torture porn, you'll discover that the real gem of this book is the author's ability to craft a shocking, engaging mystery full of twists and turns guaranteed to leave you guessing and keep your adrenaline pumping. The stories are interesting and well-crafted, centered around (but not exclusive to) two main characters who are neither likable or empathetic, but keep you engaged from start to finish.
My only real complaint about this book, aside from the obvious gore (with still has me twitching in recollection), is the title itself. Having grown up with the "Goth" movement, having friends involved in the subculture, I was disappointed at how little the book actually had to do with Goths themselves. One character dresses primarily in black, and there's talk of death...and that's pretty much it. Love it or hate it, the Goth movement is so much more than that. The title is more of a selling point, a way for the author to reel in his audience with something flashy and familiar, a fact he readily admits and apologizes for in the author notes. If you're looking for a deeper exploration of the topic you're in for a rude (and rather grotesque) awakening. However, if you want to read a well-crafted collection of gut-churning horror stories, I'd recommend this book.
July 14, 2020
“She thought I wanted to pick her up. All I really wanted to do was kill her and take her picture.”
This short story collection is one for those of us who enjoy reading about serial killers (I had initially written “this one is for serial killer fans” and then I was like “no one is actually a FAN of serial killers, for heavens sake”) But yeah, this shit be DARK.
Goth is comprised of a series of connected stories focused on Morino, the strangest girl in school, and her classmate, both of whom have a fascination with serial killers. But they don’t want to stop these serial killers, they want to understand them.
If you’re like me, when you think of Japanese horror you think of Samara from The Ring - the genre is known for being disturbing as hell, mostly supernatural etc. This collection is a little different. Don’t worry, Goth is still pretty freakin’ unsettling, but it’s rooted in reality. There are no supernatural aspects, apart from the fact that this town - and one character in particular - just seems to attract serial killers!
It gets pretty grisly at times, there’s mutilation and some animal death, so beware if you like to avoid those kinds of stories! One story in particular, called Dog, really stood out for me. I was completely blindsided and thoroughly impressed by how Otsuichi executed that one!
In the afterword, Otsuichi discusses his work. He’s surprisingly funny given how violent and disturbing his writing is, so that was a nice way to round off what was an overwhelmingly unsettling and grisly experience.
I would certainly recommend if you’re looking for some translated horror - I for one will be reading more from this author! 3.5 stars.
This short story collection is one for those of us who enjoy reading about serial killers (I had initially written “this one is for serial killer fans” and then I was like “no one is actually a FAN of serial killers, for heavens sake”) But yeah, this shit be DARK.
Goth is comprised of a series of connected stories focused on Morino, the strangest girl in school, and her classmate, both of whom have a fascination with serial killers. But they don’t want to stop these serial killers, they want to understand them.
If you’re like me, when you think of Japanese horror you think of Samara from The Ring - the genre is known for being disturbing as hell, mostly supernatural etc. This collection is a little different. Don’t worry, Goth is still pretty freakin’ unsettling, but it’s rooted in reality. There are no supernatural aspects, apart from the fact that this town - and one character in particular - just seems to attract serial killers!
It gets pretty grisly at times, there’s mutilation and some animal death, so beware if you like to avoid those kinds of stories! One story in particular, called Dog, really stood out for me. I was completely blindsided and thoroughly impressed by how Otsuichi executed that one!
In the afterword, Otsuichi discusses his work. He’s surprisingly funny given how violent and disturbing his writing is, so that was a nice way to round off what was an overwhelmingly unsettling and grisly experience.
I would certainly recommend if you’re looking for some translated horror - I for one will be reading more from this author! 3.5 stars.
April 6, 2025
I know I myself was possibly something of a similar sort, but the two lead characters in Goth were so incredibly unlikeable and unrelatable that I have been rolling my eyes at them most of the time while reading. Both display a boring lack of emotions and while the girl Morino can only relate to her only one friend unnamed boy, he, on the other hand, is obsessed with the idea of seeing her die.
The stories usually don't provide much build-up, play with points of view, and have a twist. An annoying point was that because the stories were originally published separately, the male character explains in the beginning of each and every story a detailed description of Morino from the male gaze, her long black hair, how pretty and desirable she is but cannot feel etc, and that sucked, really. Those part could have been edited out.
So, if you feel like a simply written, not too complex, bad, but bloody and mildly shocking mysteries with unsurprizing twists, annoying teenage main characters included- then this is your call.
The stories usually don't provide much build-up, play with points of view, and have a twist. An annoying point was that because the stories were originally published separately, the male character explains in the beginning of each and every story a detailed description of Morino from the male gaze, her long black hair, how pretty and desirable she is but cannot feel etc, and that sucked, really. Those part could have been edited out.
So, if you feel like a simply written, not too complex, bad, but bloody and mildly shocking mysteries with unsurprizing twists, annoying teenage main characters included- then this is your call.
November 7, 2021
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 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.
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 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.
June 21, 2020
Kh?ng hi?u sao Nh? Nam l?i g?i cu?n này là ti?u thuy?t; mình th?y nó gi?ng m?t tuy?n t?p truy?n ng?n h?n, v?i hai nh?n v?t chính xuyên su?t các c?u chuy?n là nh?n v?t t?i (m?t nam sinh c?p 3 mà tên th?t hình nh? ???c ti?t l? ? c?u chuy?n cu?i cùng) và c? b?n th?n c?a c?u ?y là Morino Yoru. Hai con ng??i v?i nh?ng suy ngh? k? l? cùng ni?m say mê nh? m?t c?n b?nh m?n tính ??i v?i nh?ng v? gi?t ng??i, nh?ng s? ki?n kinh hoàng ? ??a ph??ng, ?? cùng nhau k? nên nh?ng c?u chuy?n kinh d? ??n phát b?nh nh?ng c?ng tràn ??y ngh? suy v? b?n ch?t c?a con ng??i.
?úng là truy?n kinh d? c?a Nh?t có khác, có cái gì ?ó ?n ?n, k? c?c và khó ?oán mà mình kh?ng tài nào di?n t? ???c. Nói chung là ??c thì s? nh?n ra. Cái s? k? d? tr??c h?t ??n t? hai nh?n v?t chính, ??c bi?t là nh?n v?t t?i, v?i nh?ng suy ngh? t?m t?i nh? con thiêu th?n b? hút vào ph?n x?u xa c?a con ng??i, cùng thái ?? bàng quan g?y khó ch?u, phát hi?n ra th? ph?m c?a nh?ng v? án là ai nh?ng mà l?i ém nh?m, kh?ng báo cáo v?i chính quy?n hay c? g?ng ng?n ch?n t?i ác. Miêu t? ng?n g?n v? nh?n v?t này có th? ???c ??c th?y ? c?u chuy?n th? hai, "V? án c?t c? tay":
Nh?ng v? án ?a ph?n ??u ghê r?n, nh?ng ghê r?n h?n c? là nh?ng cú plot twists mà tác gi? c? tình cài c?m vào c?u chuy?n ? nh?ng ch? ít ng? nh?t ?? làm b?t ng? ??c gi?. Th?c s? ban ??u ??c nhi?u truy?n mình ch?a hi?u l?m th?c h? c?u chuy?n là nh? th? nào, nh?ng càng ??c v? cu?i thì ?úng là càng kh?m ph?c tác gi? ? cái cách mà anh k? chuy?n và s?p x?p nh?ng di?n bi?n c?u chuy?n k? ??y ??n nút th?t cu?i cùng. Ki?u th? ng?y d? b? l?a nh? mình là ph?i m?t ch? a, m?m ch? o khi t? t? th?m cái k?t cùng nh?ng s? th?t ???c ph?i bày và nh?ng s? ki?n ???c l? gi?i c?n k?. Ch? t?i vì là "nh?ng k? h?c ám", truy?n nào c?ng nhu?m màu u bu?n t?m t?i, khi?n mình c?ng u u minh minh, nên là ch? cho ???c 4 sao th?i :))
?úng là truy?n kinh d? c?a Nh?t có khác, có cái gì ?ó ?n ?n, k? c?c và khó ?oán mà mình kh?ng tài nào di?n t? ???c. Nói chung là ??c thì s? nh?n ra. Cái s? k? d? tr??c h?t ??n t? hai nh?n v?t chính, ??c bi?t là nh?n v?t t?i, v?i nh?ng suy ngh? t?m t?i nh? con thiêu th?n b? hút vào ph?n x?u xa c?a con ng??i, cùng thái ?? bàng quan g?y khó ch?u, phát hi?n ra th? ph?m c?a nh?ng v? án là ai nh?ng mà l?i ém nh?m, kh?ng báo cáo v?i chính quy?n hay c? g?ng ng?n ch?n t?i ác. Miêu t? ng?n g?n v? nh?n v?t này có th? ???c ??c th?y ? c?u chuy?n th? hai, "V? án c?t c? tay":
"Nói cách khác, ph?n v? c?m và phi nh?n tính bên trong mà t?i gi?u m?i ng??i b?y l?u nay ?? ???c s? th? ? d? ch?u c?a Morino ch?p thu?n."
Nh?ng v? án ?a ph?n ??u ghê r?n, nh?ng ghê r?n h?n c? là nh?ng cú plot twists mà tác gi? c? tình cài c?m vào c?u chuy?n ? nh?ng ch? ít ng? nh?t ?? làm b?t ng? ??c gi?. Th?c s? ban ??u ??c nhi?u truy?n mình ch?a hi?u l?m th?c h? c?u chuy?n là nh? th? nào, nh?ng càng ??c v? cu?i thì ?úng là càng kh?m ph?c tác gi? ? cái cách mà anh k? chuy?n và s?p x?p nh?ng di?n bi?n c?u chuy?n k? ??y ??n nút th?t cu?i cùng. Ki?u th? ng?y d? b? l?a nh? mình là ph?i m?t ch? a, m?m ch? o khi t? t? th?m cái k?t cùng nh?ng s? th?t ???c ph?i bày và nh?ng s? ki?n ???c l? gi?i c?n k?. Ch? t?i vì là "nh?ng k? h?c ám", truy?n nào c?ng nhu?m màu u bu?n t?m t?i, khi?n mình c?ng u u minh minh, nên là ch? cho ???c 4 sao th?i :))
January 30, 2020
Two high school students are obsessed with serial killers and their victims.? Both the male and the female teenagers are uncomfortable amongst normal people.? The girl, Morino, is completely unable to relate to anyone but the boy.? The boy, who remains nameless throughout most of the book, lacks emotions, yet is able to feign interest in those around him and provide suitable responses to everyday communications.
Examining cases of different serial killings in their area brings the pair closer to danger than a person would normally allow.? However, neither of the two experience fear or horror.? Rather, they are fascinated by the crimes occurring around them.?
Stories of different killers are uncovered, often with surprisingly unexpected twists.? In each case the pair of teens involve themselves without judging the wrongness of the killers' actions.? The boy especially is unmoved;? rather, he is deeply fascinated by that which repels others.
This novel won a prize, which is explained in detail in the author's Afterwards.? I was thoroughly engrossed in the different scenarios throughout the book, which I would recommend to anyone looking for some compelling and graphic psychological drama.?
Examining cases of different serial killings in their area brings the pair closer to danger than a person would normally allow.? However, neither of the two experience fear or horror.? Rather, they are fascinated by the crimes occurring around them.?
Stories of different killers are uncovered, often with surprisingly unexpected twists.? In each case the pair of teens involve themselves without judging the wrongness of the killers' actions.? The boy especially is unmoved;? rather, he is deeply fascinated by that which repels others.
This novel won a prize, which is explained in detail in the author's Afterwards.? I was thoroughly engrossed in the different scenarios throughout the book, which I would recommend to anyone looking for some compelling and graphic psychological drama.?
February 15, 2019
Very good, investingating murders for a different reason, to learn! Not quite Sherlock Holmes, but a fresh take on investing, really enjoyed it, very impressed, will look to read more books from the author, could not fault anyaspect of it, a very enjoyable book, high level of writing style and editorial.
September 5, 2020
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'??' ?? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ? ????? ??? '???? ???', '??????/ ???', '????' ???????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ???? ?????
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March 25, 2022
4.5 (redondeado a 5 porque lo leí con mi mejor amiga y eso hizo la experiencia todavía más bella).
Una colección de episodios protagonizados por dos chicos de preparatoria que tienen una fascinación con la muerte, lo que los lleva a tener encuentros cercanos con asesinos. Cada una de las historias tiene unos giros inesperados que me encantaron. Quizá el lector pueda pensar: ?Cuáles son las probabilidades de que todo ese le ocurra a unas mismas personas? Es una crítica válida pero el estilo de Otsuichi es tan fluido y entretenido que en lo personal me dejé ir como hilo de media y me divertí muchísimo. La verdad no vi venir ninguno de los plot twists e incluso tuve que volver a leer algunas partes para asegurarme de que estaba entendiendo lo que estaba pasando. Muy disfrutable.
Una colección de episodios protagonizados por dos chicos de preparatoria que tienen una fascinación con la muerte, lo que los lleva a tener encuentros cercanos con asesinos. Cada una de las historias tiene unos giros inesperados que me encantaron. Quizá el lector pueda pensar: ?Cuáles son las probabilidades de que todo ese le ocurra a unas mismas personas? Es una crítica válida pero el estilo de Otsuichi es tan fluido y entretenido que en lo personal me dejé ir como hilo de media y me divertí muchísimo. La verdad no vi venir ninguno de los plot twists e incluso tuve que volver a leer algunas partes para asegurarme de que estaba entendiendo lo que estaba pasando. Muy disfrutable.
February 28, 2018
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July 25, 2023
Nh?ng k? gi?t ng??i th?t s? t?n t?i. H? thích gi?t ng??i mà ch?ng c?n l? do gì. T?i kh?ng bi?t là do quá trình tr??ng thành khi?n h? tr? nên nh? v?y hay b?m sinh h? ?? v?y. V?n ?? là ? ch? nh?ng k? này che gi?u tinh cách ?ó ?i và s?ng nh? nh?ng ng??i khác. H? hòa vào th? gi?i này, nhìn bên ngoài thì ch?ng khác gì ng??i bình th??ng. Th? nh?ng s? có lúc h? ??t nhiên c?m th?y ph?i gi?t ng??i. H? r?i xa cu?c s?ng ngày th??ng và ?i s?n.T?i c?ng là m?t k? nh? v?y.
Th?i gian g?n ??y b?t ??u ?i làm nên mình b? reading slump, h?u nh? ph?i m?t g?n 1 tu?n m?i hoàn thành m?t cu?n sách. Nh?ng may làm sao, l?n nào ??c sách c?a Otsuichi mình ??u hoàn thành r?t nhanh. u ám, l?nh lùng, và r?t th?n thu?c.
xoay quanh hai c? c?u h?c sinh trung h?c, "t?i" - ng??i k? chuy?n, và c? b?n Morino Yoru. ? ngay Ph?n m? ??u, Otsuichi ?? khi?n mình thích thú v?i cách suy ngh? c?a hai c? c?u h?c sinh này. H? thích thú v?i cái ch?t, gi?t chóc, khi?n mình liên t??ng ??n nh?ng k? sùng bái nh?ng tên sát nh?n hàng lo?t có th?t.
Gi?t ng??i r?i ch?t xác. Nh?ng n?n nh?n và nh?ng k? th?c hi?n vi?c ?ó th?t s? t?n t?i. Morino và t?i ??c bi?t quan t?m ??n m?y chuy?n kinh kh?ng nh? v?y. Chúng t?i lu?n tìm ki?m nh?ng s? ki?n bi th?m khi?n ng??i ta mu?n treo c? ngay khi nghe xong. Tính cách l?p d? này ch?ng th? nói r? ra,
nh?ng c? hai ??u c?m nh?n ???c ?i?u ?ó ? ??i ph??ng mà kh?ng c?n l?i l?.
Càng d?i theo nh?ng gì di?n ra qua "t?i", mình ?n l?nh b?i cái cách k? chuy?n l?nh lùng, nh?ng ham mu?n gi?t chóc c?a c?u ta; trong khi mình ?? ngh? ng??i ?áng s? ? ??y ph?i là Morino, nh?ng kh?ng ph?i!
V?i nh?ng c?u chuy?n ng?n khác v?: các v? gi?t h?i chó mèo, c?p sinh ??i treo c?, cu?n b?ng ghi ?m gi?ng ng??i ch?t..., là nh?ng c?u chuy?n kinh d?, máu me và bi?n thái.
Chúng t?i kh?ng có ? ??nh n?p cu?n s? này cho c?nh sát. Dù chúng t?i kh?ng làm th? thì s?m mu?n hung th? c?ng s? b? b?t th?i. N?u chúng t?i giao cu?n s? cho c?nh sát, có th? h?n s? b? b?t s?m h?n và s? có ít n?n nh?n h?n. ?úng ra chúng t?i ph?i có ngh?a v? ??a cu?n s? cho h?. ?áng ti?c r?ng c? hai chúng t?i ??u kh?ng c?m th?y c?n r?t l??ng t?m khi gi? nó l?i và kh?ng khai báo, chúng t?i là nh?ng ??a h?c sinh t?i t? nh? r?n r?t.
? có ?i?u tra ??y, nh?ng th?t ghê s? khi vi?c "?i?u tra" c?a nh?n v?t kh?ng ph?i ?? ng?n ch?n cái ác, mà h? mu?n ???c ng?m nhìn cái ch?t, mu?n nhìn th?y hung th?. Cùng v?i nh?ng cú plot-twist làm mình ng?c nhiên!!!
Dù có kinh d?, bi?n thái. Nh?ng thú th?t là Otsuichi bi?t cách khi?n mình ??ng c?m v?i nh?ng cu?n sách c?a ?ng ?y, và c?ng v?y. Qua m?t vài c?u chuy?n, n?i bu?n, n?i ?m ?c khi?n mình ch?nh lòng; b?i có m?t vài con ng??i ch?u ??ng r?t nhi?u th?, mà h? ?? tìm cách ?? trút gi?n, ?? b?o v? b?n th?n và b?o v? cho ng??i h? "yêu". Bên c?nh ?ó, nh?ng suy ngh? c?a m?t vài "k? bi?n thái" khác ???c di?n t? khi?n mình m?u thu?n gi?a "th??ng h?i" và "ghê s?" h?. ??c bi?t là mình kh?ng s? h?i cách suy ngh? c?a "t?i" hay tính cách c?a Morino, th?m chí mình r?t "th?n thu?c" v?i nó, b?i mình ?? t?ng có vài suy ngh? "bi?n thái" nh? v?y - cu?c s?ng quá m?t m?i và áp l?c khi?n mình ch?ng mu?n quan t?m t?i gì n?a.
Nhìn chung có ?áng s?, có b?t ng?, có bu?n. Dù ? g?n cu?i truy?n mình h?i ?u?i chút chút, nh?ng mình v?n ch?c ch?n ??y là cu?n sách hay! Otsuichi x?ng ?áng là m?t trong nh?ng tác gi? yêu thích trong n?m 2022 c?a mình ?
May 7, 2021
3.5 stars.
Maybe it's the type of Japanese translated fiction I've been reading this week, but they've all been very intense. Goth was no exception. A collection of short stories, each tale follows schoolgirl Morino who has an affinity for attracting murderers and her equally strange school friend who seems to know how killers think. The two are obsessed with all things macabre and coincidentally live in a town that has a very high death rate.
Although the stories follow the same protagonists, I did find them quite incohesive at times. I think this is largely down to the fact that we get multiple perspectives throughout the collection, jumping from the minds of the killers to Morino, to victims and beyond without ever really knowing who is telling us the story. Sometimes we don't know who's perspective we get until right near the end, changing the entire tone of the story and flipping it on its head. At times this worked, and other times it didn't. I will say that some of the perspectives were an interesting choice.
I also found the main characters difficult to connect with. Morino is purposefully very closed off with her emotions, and completely oblivious to the multiple dangerous experiences she gets herself into. Although we get some backstory, I felt that this only really touched the surface into how messed up she really was. The same could be said for her one and only friend, and amplified. We know even less about his life and reasonings behind his obsession. He's a tricky character to define and relate to, and I sometimes struggled to find any redeeming characteristics between the pair. I will say that this improved as the stories progressedz and I found it almost comical to find Morino in yet another dangerous predicament without her knowing.
Dark, intense and foreboding. I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end to gain further insight into his mindset when writing these stories, particularly the references he makes to the killers being yokai. It makes their lack of reasoning behind the killings, and Morino's unearthly connection to them easier to understand.
Maybe it's the type of Japanese translated fiction I've been reading this week, but they've all been very intense. Goth was no exception. A collection of short stories, each tale follows schoolgirl Morino who has an affinity for attracting murderers and her equally strange school friend who seems to know how killers think. The two are obsessed with all things macabre and coincidentally live in a town that has a very high death rate.
Although the stories follow the same protagonists, I did find them quite incohesive at times. I think this is largely down to the fact that we get multiple perspectives throughout the collection, jumping from the minds of the killers to Morino, to victims and beyond without ever really knowing who is telling us the story. Sometimes we don't know who's perspective we get until right near the end, changing the entire tone of the story and flipping it on its head. At times this worked, and other times it didn't. I will say that some of the perspectives were an interesting choice.
I also found the main characters difficult to connect with. Morino is purposefully very closed off with her emotions, and completely oblivious to the multiple dangerous experiences she gets herself into. Although we get some backstory, I felt that this only really touched the surface into how messed up she really was. The same could be said for her one and only friend, and amplified. We know even less about his life and reasonings behind his obsession. He's a tricky character to define and relate to, and I sometimes struggled to find any redeeming characteristics between the pair. I will say that this improved as the stories progressedz and I found it almost comical to find Morino in yet another dangerous predicament without her knowing.
Dark, intense and foreboding. I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end to gain further insight into his mindset when writing these stories, particularly the references he makes to the killers being yokai. It makes their lack of reasoning behind the killings, and Morino's unearthly connection to them easier to understand.
December 11, 2017
??ng ??c cu?n sách này khi chu?n b? ?i h?c, ?i làm, ?i ch?i, ?i h?n hò... vì ch?c ch?n nó s? khi?n b?n b? tr? gi?. Bi?n thái v?a ?? ?? kh?ng ta tin vào c?u chuy?n và b?t giác c?m th?y ?n l?nh, b?nh ho?n mà kh?ng c?m giác khó ch?u hay quá ?à, h?p d?n v?a ??, t?m t?i v?a ??, kinh d? v?a ?? và b?t ng? v?a ??. H?y th??ng th?c cu?n sách máu me này v?i nh?ng cú rùng mình.
December 11, 2017
I'm not normally a fan of the Agatha Christie school of detective fiction; I cannot stand mysteries that blithely disregard through narrative cheats. I'm an adherent to the Chandler and Hammett school that says the author must play fair with the audience.
And yet I have to admit that Otsuichi's Goth is a brilliant mystery novel, despite cheats all over the place. This is more than just an unreliable narrator -- the story is written in first person, but the point-of-view will shift without clearly establishing who's perspective you're reading -- not the character's name, nor their gender, nor even their species. But the difference between this book and, say, is that Otsuichi doesn't make you think you're working with the detective to solve the mystery. Instead he establishes early on that you the reader are on your own to figure things out. The clues are all present for you if only you can recognize them.
Plus, I have a soft spot for any story in which the heroine is explicitly described as looking like Winona Ryder's character from Beetlejuice.
And yet I have to admit that Otsuichi's Goth is a brilliant mystery novel, despite cheats all over the place. This is more than just an unreliable narrator -- the story is written in first person, but the point-of-view will shift without clearly establishing who's perspective you're reading -- not the character's name, nor their gender, nor even their species. But the difference between this book and, say, is that Otsuichi doesn't make you think you're working with the detective to solve the mystery. Instead he establishes early on that you the reader are on your own to figure things out. The clues are all present for you if only you can recognize them.
Plus, I have a soft spot for any story in which the heroine is explicitly described as looking like Winona Ryder's character from Beetlejuice.
December 22, 2022
Cu?n này là kinh d? Nh?t, h?i bi?n thái 1 chút, k? v? 5 v? án kinh kh?ng. Nh?n v?t chính là m?t nam h?c sinh (có th? là c? 1 n? h?c sinh tên Morino n?a). Ngoài kinh d? thì cu?n này còn twist và hack n?o ghê g?m. C?c hay. ?o?n cu?i su?t n?a thì th?t v?ng v? nh?n v?t chính nh?ng r?t may là kh?ng. Quá tuy?t v?iiiii
??c cu?n này làm mình hi?u h?n v? t?m l? t?i ph?m c?ng nh? s? c? ??n, s? h?i và cùng qu?n c?a con ng??i. M?i t?i ph?m ??u có nh?ng v?n ?? riêng, nh?ng 5 t?i ph?m trong cu?n này thì ai c?ng ?áng trách c?. H?y.
??c cu?n này làm mình hi?u h?n v? t?m l? t?i ph?m c?ng nh? s? c? ??n, s? h?i và cùng qu?n c?a con ng??i. M?i t?i ph?m ??u có nh?ng v?n ?? riêng, nh?ng 5 t?i ph?m trong cu?n này thì ai c?ng ?áng trách c?. H?y.
May 18, 2021
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?????, ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ????? ??? ????? -_-
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???? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ???- ???????????????? ???? ??? ??????? ????????????????? ???? ??????? ???????? ?????? ??? ??? :?
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?? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??-??!? ???? ???????? ?????? ??? ???? ????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???????? ?????? ???? ??? ???? ???????? ?????? ????!? ?? ?? ??????? ??????????! ????? ????? ???? ???
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December 11, 2017
Stories that are twisted and depict the darker side of humans have always simultaneously disturbed and fascinated me. I find it interesting to read about how sociopaths, psychopaths, and the like think. So, when I began reading Goth, I was absolutely captivated.
Otsuichi didn't flinch at all when he wrote this dark, twisted tale of mystery and murder. The killers he created are dangerous, unstable, and, at times, ruthless. Goth's atmosphere is dark and foreboding. The two leads are very interesting characters. And Otsuichi's mysteries are skillfully crafted with surprising twists. Really, Goth kicks a heck of a lot of butt.
If you don't already know, Goth is somewhat of an anthology. There are different stories, each featuring a different mystery and killer, but still containing the same two leads, Morino and the narrator, whose name is unknown until the last story in the book. As the stories go by, you will start feeling like you are grasping onto the two leads and how their relationship works.
This way of telling a story might not work for everyone, but boy, did it work for me. Learning more about the two mysterious leads by finding bits and pieces to hold onto throughout each story was fun and the different mysteries that come with the different stories are hard to figure out and will sometimes even pack quite a punch. And when I think about it, Goth really couldn't be told in any other way...
Morino and the narrator are two of the most intriguing characters I have ever encountered in fiction. These these two characters begin as enigmas and, for me, uncovering more about them was the best part of reading Goth. These two characters, both of them obsessed with death, are characters that, while I couldn't completely love them because of how cruel they could be, I genuinely loved learning about them.
Otsuichi did a fantastic job at writing from the point of view of a sociopath. I could really fell how detached from the world and how isolated the narrator was. I could feel how merciless and unfeeling he was. There were also times when a story would be told through the eyes of the killer, which were also very well done.
Goth is a story that I was completely taken in by. This book is mysterious, twisted, and unsettling. Otsuichi really did succeed at sending chills down my spine. Goth is a fantastic read. Highly recommended!
Otsuichi didn't flinch at all when he wrote this dark, twisted tale of mystery and murder. The killers he created are dangerous, unstable, and, at times, ruthless. Goth's atmosphere is dark and foreboding. The two leads are very interesting characters. And Otsuichi's mysteries are skillfully crafted with surprising twists. Really, Goth kicks a heck of a lot of butt.
If you don't already know, Goth is somewhat of an anthology. There are different stories, each featuring a different mystery and killer, but still containing the same two leads, Morino and the narrator, whose name is unknown until the last story in the book. As the stories go by, you will start feeling like you are grasping onto the two leads and how their relationship works.
This way of telling a story might not work for everyone, but boy, did it work for me. Learning more about the two mysterious leads by finding bits and pieces to hold onto throughout each story was fun and the different mysteries that come with the different stories are hard to figure out and will sometimes even pack quite a punch. And when I think about it, Goth really couldn't be told in any other way...
Morino and the narrator are two of the most intriguing characters I have ever encountered in fiction. These these two characters begin as enigmas and, for me, uncovering more about them was the best part of reading Goth. These two characters, both of them obsessed with death, are characters that, while I couldn't completely love them because of how cruel they could be, I genuinely loved learning about them.
Otsuichi did a fantastic job at writing from the point of view of a sociopath. I could really fell how detached from the world and how isolated the narrator was. I could feel how merciless and unfeeling he was. There were also times when a story would be told through the eyes of the killer, which were also very well done.
Goth is a story that I was completely taken in by. This book is mysterious, twisted, and unsettling. Otsuichi really did succeed at sending chills down my spine. Goth is a fantastic read. Highly recommended!
May 17, 2018
This collection of short stories is incredibly disturbing. All the stories center on an unnamed narrator and his friend, Morino, who both share an obsession with murder and death. The stories somewhat tie into each other and they're all a bit bizarre and definitely grotesque. There are also neat twists and reveals, so not only is the horror element here but also mystery. The writing/translation is fantastic. I made my way through the collection in an afternoon because I simply couldn't put it down. Would love to read more stories about these characters.
August 22, 2019
#2018ReadingChallenge #PopSugar
21. A book with characters who are twins
T?i ch? thích GOTH! T? th?y ng?c nhiên lu?n, vì GOTH d??ng nh? ?? có ?? m?i ch?t li?u mà t?i khoái. Nh?ng cu?i cùng ch?t l?i v?n là t?i ch? thích GOTH.
N?u ?? ch?n, thì có l? v?i t?i Voice là ph?n hay nh?t, kh?ng ph?i vì s? l?t léo khó ng? c?a nó, mà vì gi?ng v?n ?? kh?p kh?nh nh?t. Ch?ng r? là vì ng??i d?ch hay do v?n phong c?a chính Otsuichi mà ??c cu?n này th?nh tho?ng t?i l?i th?y v?p váp t?i ngh?a. Nh?ng mà ph?i th?a nh?n là cách ??t tên cho các truy?n ng?n c?a Otsuichi r?t g?y ?n t??ng v?i t?i.
?, nói sao nh?? T?i kh?ng th? nào b?t ???c t? GOTH cái "n?i bu?n và nh?ng chiêm nghi?m v? cu?c s?ng, v? b?n ch?t con ng??i và s? giác ng?". Sau khi sóng n?o t?i th?m tháp ???c t?t c? nh?ng gì có th? thì cái ??ng sau cùng ch? còn là s? rùng mình tr??c nh?ng t?i ác khó hi?u c?a nh?ng k? ác ??c kh?ng vì m?t lí do ?áng k? nào c?. Tr?ng r?ng và v? ngh?a. Gi?ng y nh? khi xem Tag c?a Sion Sono v?y, ch?ng th?y ???c gì ngoài máu xay th?t bào. Gi?ng nh? th? th? gi?i này ?? méo mó bi?n d?ng ??n cùng c?c r?i.
21. A book with characters who are twins
T?i ch? thích GOTH! T? th?y ng?c nhiên lu?n, vì GOTH d??ng nh? ?? có ?? m?i ch?t li?u mà t?i khoái. Nh?ng cu?i cùng ch?t l?i v?n là t?i ch? thích GOTH.
N?u ?? ch?n, thì có l? v?i t?i Voice là ph?n hay nh?t, kh?ng ph?i vì s? l?t léo khó ng? c?a nó, mà vì gi?ng v?n ?? kh?p kh?nh nh?t. Ch?ng r? là vì ng??i d?ch hay do v?n phong c?a chính Otsuichi mà ??c cu?n này th?nh tho?ng t?i l?i th?y v?p váp t?i ngh?a. Nh?ng mà ph?i th?a nh?n là cách ??t tên cho các truy?n ng?n c?a Otsuichi r?t g?y ?n t??ng v?i t?i.
?, nói sao nh?? T?i kh?ng th? nào b?t ???c t? GOTH cái "n?i bu?n và nh?ng chiêm nghi?m v? cu?c s?ng, v? b?n ch?t con ng??i và s? giác ng?". Sau khi sóng n?o t?i th?m tháp ???c t?t c? nh?ng gì có th? thì cái ??ng sau cùng ch? còn là s? rùng mình tr??c nh?ng t?i ác khó hi?u c?a nh?ng k? ác ??c kh?ng vì m?t lí do ?áng k? nào c?. Tr?ng r?ng và v? ngh?a. Gi?ng y nh? khi xem Tag c?a Sion Sono v?y, ch?ng th?y ???c gì ngoài máu xay th?t bào. Gi?ng nh? th? th? gi?i này ?? méo mó bi?n d?ng ??n cùng c?c r?i.
December 14, 2022
“Morino and I found strange cases – and the people involved in them – darkly fascinating. Tragic human death ought to have torn our hearts in two – deaths so unfair that they made people want to scream. But we cut those articles out of newspapers, looking down the deep, dark well at the hearts of the people involved. Most people wouldn’t understand such interests – but it bewitched us like magic.”
Holy cheese balls I loved this twisted book!!!!
GOTH is a collection of connected short stories following an unnamed narrator and his high school classmate, Morino, a strange girl who is drawn to death and labeled "goth" by her peers due to her outwardly appearance--hair black as night, skin pale as the moon. Both characters have an unusual fascination with the macabre and in each short story, readers follow the two as they investigate serial murders and find themselves in dicey situations. However, our protagonists never report evidence or foul play to the police. Why? Because their intentions are never to help the victims but to understand the killers.
While author Otsuichi’s multi-perspective storytelling makes for a unique reading experience, the premise is a bit misleading! We are led to believe the book focuses on a teenage girl obsessed with serial killers, but the true star of the show is her classmate, the unnamed narrator– a talented puzzle solver and sociopath who enjoys visiting locations where people have died. The two characters make an enthrallingly dark pair, but readers will find themselves drawn more to the sharp-witted narrator and his unemotional reactions to the most gruesome crimes in the book. (And good god there are some gruesome crimes.)
As one makes their way through one story at a time, horror readers will love the book for its blunt morbidity and upsetting imagery while mystery fiction readers will enjoy the characters’ keen observations on crime and death. Definitely give this a read if you enjoy books with morally neutral characters, grisly scenes, and dark subjects handled in pragmatic ways. Also if Japanese horror/mystery fiction tickles your fancy or if you enjoy books like Revenge by Yoko Ogawa or The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, you’ll also enjoy this collection quite a bit.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS: animal cruelty/death, suicide
Holy cheese balls I loved this twisted book!!!!
GOTH is a collection of connected short stories following an unnamed narrator and his high school classmate, Morino, a strange girl who is drawn to death and labeled "goth" by her peers due to her outwardly appearance--hair black as night, skin pale as the moon. Both characters have an unusual fascination with the macabre and in each short story, readers follow the two as they investigate serial murders and find themselves in dicey situations. However, our protagonists never report evidence or foul play to the police. Why? Because their intentions are never to help the victims but to understand the killers.
While author Otsuichi’s multi-perspective storytelling makes for a unique reading experience, the premise is a bit misleading! We are led to believe the book focuses on a teenage girl obsessed with serial killers, but the true star of the show is her classmate, the unnamed narrator– a talented puzzle solver and sociopath who enjoys visiting locations where people have died. The two characters make an enthrallingly dark pair, but readers will find themselves drawn more to the sharp-witted narrator and his unemotional reactions to the most gruesome crimes in the book. (And good god there are some gruesome crimes.)
As one makes their way through one story at a time, horror readers will love the book for its blunt morbidity and upsetting imagery while mystery fiction readers will enjoy the characters’ keen observations on crime and death. Definitely give this a read if you enjoy books with morally neutral characters, grisly scenes, and dark subjects handled in pragmatic ways. Also if Japanese horror/mystery fiction tickles your fancy or if you enjoy books like Revenge by Yoko Ogawa or The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji, you’ll also enjoy this collection quite a bit.
**TRIGGER WARNINGS: animal cruelty/death, suicide
November 23, 2021
Goth has a pretty sweet concept: interconnected stories following two high-school students who are obsessed with murders and murderers. Sounds like my jam!
While Otsuichi's ideas for these stories were brilliant, something about how they were executed left a lot more to be desired. The writing, while atmospheric at times, was pretty dry and sort of cold, so it failed to hold my interest at a lot of points. I was bored quite often while reading Goth.
But at times, I did enjoy reading it. The 'Dog' story was my favorite out of the bunch followed by 'Grave'. These two definitely lived up to what I was expecting. 'Dog' especially had some good twists and was also sort of sad while being creepy. 'Grave' was predictable but I still enjoyed it a lot. 'Wristcut', 'Twins' and 'Goth' were moderately good. 'Voice' for the most part was quite interesting but I didn't understand the ending at all which made the whole thing a little unsatisfactory. I skipped the bonus story, just wasn't feeling like spending more time on this book.
Not sure whether I'd recommend Goth as a whole, but if you're really interested in it, you could give it a read.
(3 stars)
"I couldn't believe that the conversations my family had or the friendly attitudes of the people I knew were genuine. I was certain there had to be a script somewhere – and once, when I was very young, I searched the house for it. I wanted to read the same words everyone else was saying. But there was no script. The only thing that ever felt real to me was death."
While Otsuichi's ideas for these stories were brilliant, something about how they were executed left a lot more to be desired. The writing, while atmospheric at times, was pretty dry and sort of cold, so it failed to hold my interest at a lot of points. I was bored quite often while reading Goth.
But at times, I did enjoy reading it. The 'Dog' story was my favorite out of the bunch followed by 'Grave'. These two definitely lived up to what I was expecting. 'Dog' especially had some good twists and was also sort of sad while being creepy. 'Grave' was predictable but I still enjoyed it a lot. 'Wristcut', 'Twins' and 'Goth' were moderately good. 'Voice' for the most part was quite interesting but I didn't understand the ending at all which made the whole thing a little unsatisfactory. I skipped the bonus story, just wasn't feeling like spending more time on this book.
Not sure whether I'd recommend Goth as a whole, but if you're really interested in it, you could give it a read.
(3 stars)
"I couldn't believe that the conversations my family had or the friendly attitudes of the people I knew were genuine. I was certain there had to be a script somewhere – and once, when I was very young, I searched the house for it. I wanted to read the same words everyone else was saying. But there was no script. The only thing that ever felt real to me was death."
December 11, 2017
This is one of the most clever little horror novels I have read. Loved every dark and disturbing minute of it.
5 brilliant stars!!!!
5 brilliant stars!!!!
June 12, 2023
Goth is a novel told through six connected short stories that follows two high-schoolers, the narrator, a boy who believes he's not a human and a girl name Morino that believes she's broken and inhuman due to past trauma. These two are brought together through their shared interest on death.
DARKER THAN BLACK
Goth by Otsuichi is a fine piece of dark fiction that made me turn around to look and check whether I am truly alone frequently while reading this at night in my room. The nameless narrator and his friend are the school's social outcast and their troubled fascination on death not only brought them together but leads them into a rabbit hole involving serial killers or budding serial killers? The stories are chockful of graphic violence of both human and animals but gets truly terrifying when it focuses on the two main protagonist. Primary example: the narrator having recollection of a violent attacker that cuts random bystander's hands after watching Morino's wrist while she was writing on the blackboard.
PRACTICING MY PATIENCE
The stories are made out of six connected short stories but at the same time, it seem to lack the care to immediately made it connected beside having the narrator present to tie in that this is in continuity. They hardly lead up or continues the story prior and it can get jarring especially if you don't know that it's actually a short story collection going in with spares continuity that would form a stealthy novel or vise versa.
Take for example, the first story - Goth, sees the two main protagonist meet up for the first time and Morino showing the narrator the diary of a serial killer who they suspect has been abducting women in their town and ends with Morino texting the narrator sometimes after the event of the two finding a bag containing the clothes of the serial killer's victim and her trying out the clothes of the serial killer's victim. The next story however doesn't address the ending of the first story but from the narrator remembering Morino's wrist that triggers his recollection of wrist attacker from the past sort of imply that Morino is dead at the hands of the serial killer from the previous story. This would continue to be an element moving onto the next story and the next one after.
SHE TOLD ME SHE GOT HEAT SO I FROZE
If there's one knock I can give to this really riveting piece of dark fiction is that despite how much Otsuichi play around with the narrative structure and boy do I love 'em, he sticks with a first person narration for the most part and yes, the twist and shocks are more impactful, it does become a repetitive read the way things or moments are describe. I am in now way blaming Andrew Cunningham's work on translation but if he did a great job on it then the fault is on the material.
WILHELM'S SCREAM
Goth by Otsuichi is a direct descendent of Edogawa Ranpo's macabre side of fiction and ultimately Edgar Allan Poe's type of horror. It's vicious and relentless, dazzling the reader (me) with the dark and suffocating atmosphere that eventually leads to moments of graphic violence.
DARKER THAN BLACK
Goth by Otsuichi is a fine piece of dark fiction that made me turn around to look and check whether I am truly alone frequently while reading this at night in my room. The nameless narrator and his friend are the school's social outcast and their troubled fascination on death not only brought them together but leads them into a rabbit hole involving serial killers or budding serial killers? The stories are chockful of graphic violence of both human and animals but gets truly terrifying when it focuses on the two main protagonist. Primary example: the narrator having recollection of a violent attacker that cuts random bystander's hands after watching Morino's wrist while she was writing on the blackboard.
"If he had determined that Morino was the thief, causing him to cut off her hands and kill her, my plan would’ve been complete. I would’ve had to wait until her severed hands were in his fridge, and then I could’ve gone to steal them. Of course there were a number of holes in this plan: There was no guarantee he would have taken her hands home, even if he had killed her…but there was a good chance he would’ve.
The only I hands I had wanted were Morino’s pale, beautiful hands."
PRACTICING MY PATIENCE
The stories are made out of six connected short stories but at the same time, it seem to lack the care to immediately made it connected beside having the narrator present to tie in that this is in continuity. They hardly lead up or continues the story prior and it can get jarring especially if you don't know that it's actually a short story collection going in with spares continuity that would form a stealthy novel or vise versa.
Take for example, the first story - Goth, sees the two main protagonist meet up for the first time and Morino showing the narrator the diary of a serial killer who they suspect has been abducting women in their town and ends with Morino texting the narrator sometimes after the event of the two finding a bag containing the clothes of the serial killer's victim and her trying out the clothes of the serial killer's victim. The next story however doesn't address the ending of the first story but from the narrator remembering Morino's wrist that triggers his recollection of wrist attacker from the past sort of imply that Morino is dead at the hands of the serial killer from the previous story. This would continue to be an element moving onto the next story and the next one after.
SHE TOLD ME SHE GOT HEAT SO I FROZE
If there's one knock I can give to this really riveting piece of dark fiction is that despite how much Otsuichi play around with the narrative structure and boy do I love 'em, he sticks with a first person narration for the most part and yes, the twist and shocks are more impactful, it does become a repetitive read the way things or moments are describe. I am in now way blaming Andrew Cunningham's work on translation but if he did a great job on it then the fault is on the material.
WILHELM'S SCREAM
Goth by Otsuichi is a direct descendent of Edogawa Ranpo's macabre side of fiction and ultimately Edgar Allan Poe's type of horror. It's vicious and relentless, dazzling the reader (me) with the dark and suffocating atmosphere that eventually leads to moments of graphic violence.
November 24, 2019
Disturbingly dark and blood-curdling.
This is the first time I’ve read a Japanese book, and this was recommended to me by one of my friends. I am always fascinated by stories that talk about the darker side of humanity. I hadn’t found a book like this before because most of it was just lame horror-trying-to-be-creepy story and that’s the reason why I stopped reading some horrors for a while.
Goth is told from the point-of-view of one of the main characters – his name wasn’t revealed from the start, but I’m happy to know it (finally!) on the last chapter – and sometimes a POV from the killer or someone involved in the story was also included on that particular chapter. The story is about two high school students who became friends because of having the same weird interest in something scary and gruesome murders that mostly happen in their place or near their place. Each chapter features a collection of stories about Morino and her friend’s adventure on investigating (or most likely observing) how the killers/murderers do their ghastly and frightening works.
I love the writing of the author. Otsuichi could write some chilling and twisted tale. He was able to unveil the darkness that surrounds some people and how they viewed the world they live on. I could feel how the two students feel, how the killer feels no pity for their victim, and also the contentment or satisfaction that the killers get after doing it.
My favorite stories are the “dog” and “memory/twins.” I like how the dog story was executed and how it was very touching too. To be honest, this is the story where the killer really has a reasonable explanation for his/her actions – which I liked. While on the memory/twins, it really shocked me to find out the secrets that Morino has been hiding from everyone since that accident or is it really an accident?
Overall, I really love this novel! I was able to explore the darker side of the world. Some of it might be unrealistic, but still, I was able to get a peek on the killer/murderer’s mind. If you also like a dark, twisted, and disturbing story, then you should try this one.
BLOG POST LINK:
This is the first time I’ve read a Japanese book, and this was recommended to me by one of my friends. I am always fascinated by stories that talk about the darker side of humanity. I hadn’t found a book like this before because most of it was just lame horror-trying-to-be-creepy story and that’s the reason why I stopped reading some horrors for a while.
Goth is told from the point-of-view of one of the main characters – his name wasn’t revealed from the start, but I’m happy to know it (finally!) on the last chapter – and sometimes a POV from the killer or someone involved in the story was also included on that particular chapter. The story is about two high school students who became friends because of having the same weird interest in something scary and gruesome murders that mostly happen in their place or near their place. Each chapter features a collection of stories about Morino and her friend’s adventure on investigating (or most likely observing) how the killers/murderers do their ghastly and frightening works.
I love the writing of the author. Otsuichi could write some chilling and twisted tale. He was able to unveil the darkness that surrounds some people and how they viewed the world they live on. I could feel how the two students feel, how the killer feels no pity for their victim, and also the contentment or satisfaction that the killers get after doing it.
My favorite stories are the “dog” and “memory/twins.” I like how the dog story was executed and how it was very touching too. To be honest, this is the story where the killer really has a reasonable explanation for his/her actions – which I liked. While on the memory/twins, it really shocked me to find out the secrets that Morino has been hiding from everyone since that accident or is it really an accident?
Overall, I really love this novel! I was able to explore the darker side of the world. Some of it might be unrealistic, but still, I was able to get a peek on the killer/murderer’s mind. If you also like a dark, twisted, and disturbing story, then you should try this one.
BLOG POST LINK:
September 26, 2020
4.5/5?
Quy?n này ?c g?n mác 18+ có l? vì n?i dung ??y "bi?n thái" c?a nó nh?ng ??i v?i mình nó c?ng k 18+ l?m )))
L?i cu?n, u t?i, méo mó, bi?n thái. Cu?n sách này gi?ng nh? t?ng h?p nh?ng c?u chuy?n ng?n h?n là ti?u thuy?t. M?t x? h?i Nh?t B?n t?i t?m, ??y nh?ng con ng??i nh?ng k gi?ng con ng??i, nh?n cách b? h?y ho?i và ??y s? ám ?nh. Nói th?t là mình ch?ng thích n?i 1 nh?n v?t nào h?t, vì ch?ng ai t?t ??p c? :))
?, twist truy?n này c?ng b?t ng? ph?t :))) m?i m?t c?u chuy?n ng?n ??u có nh?ng cú l?t kèo khá okela.
Nói chung b?n nào k s? m?y c?nh máu me gi?t ng??i thì ??c cu?n l?m :))
Quy?n này ?c g?n mác 18+ có l? vì n?i dung ??y "bi?n thái" c?a nó nh?ng ??i v?i mình nó c?ng k 18+ l?m )))
L?i cu?n, u t?i, méo mó, bi?n thái. Cu?n sách này gi?ng nh? t?ng h?p nh?ng c?u chuy?n ng?n h?n là ti?u thuy?t. M?t x? h?i Nh?t B?n t?i t?m, ??y nh?ng con ng??i nh?ng k gi?ng con ng??i, nh?n cách b? h?y ho?i và ??y s? ám ?nh. Nói th?t là mình ch?ng thích n?i 1 nh?n v?t nào h?t, vì ch?ng ai t?t ??p c? :))
?, twist truy?n này c?ng b?t ng? ph?t :))) m?i m?t c?u chuy?n ng?n ??u có nh?ng cú l?t kèo khá okela.
Nói chung b?n nào k s? m?y c?nh máu me gi?t ng??i thì ??c cu?n l?m :))
November 22, 2021
What is there to say about this one?
Not for the faint of heart, but well-written. Some very imaginative serial killers we have up in here…
TW: some animal abuse, torture, graphic murder (obviously)
Not for the faint of heart, but well-written. Some very imaginative serial killers we have up in here…
TW: some animal abuse, torture, graphic murder (obviously)
December 11, 2017
Rate: 4.5/5
N?u nh? Zoo là t?p h?p nh?ng chuy?n ch? liên quan gì ??n nhau, thì t?ng c?u chuy?n trong Goth nh? t?ng viên g?ch x?y d?ng nên hai nh?n v?t chính. Ph?n Voice ??c v? cùng l?i cu?n vì t?i mu?n bi?t mình ?oán ?úng kh?ng, dù trong th?m t?m t?i thích anh chàng nam chính và mong m?i chuy?n kh?ng nh? mình ngh?. ?i?u tài tình nh?t c?a tác gi? là c? tình d?n d? ng??i ??c ?i sai ???ng. Th? n?a là nh?ng ?i?u b?t ng?. V?i t?i thì Goth ?n ??t Zoo v? m?i m?t.
?i?m tr? duy nh?t có l? là ??i ch?, cách m?i th? di?n ra h?i kh?ng h?p l? l?m. C?ng có th? tác gi? c? tình nh? th?, dù sao ?ng c?ng ?? s?n m?y qu? l?a trong ?ó r?i mà.
N?u nh? Zoo là t?p h?p nh?ng chuy?n ch? liên quan gì ??n nhau, thì t?ng c?u chuy?n trong Goth nh? t?ng viên g?ch x?y d?ng nên hai nh?n v?t chính. Ph?n Voice ??c v? cùng l?i cu?n vì t?i mu?n bi?t mình ?oán ?úng kh?ng, dù trong th?m t?m t?i thích anh chàng nam chính và mong m?i chuy?n kh?ng nh? mình ngh?. ?i?u tài tình nh?t c?a tác gi? là c? tình d?n d? ng??i ??c ?i sai ???ng. Th? n?a là nh?ng ?i?u b?t ng?. V?i t?i thì Goth ?n ??t Zoo v? m?i m?t.
?i?m tr? duy nh?t có l? là ??i ch?, cách m?i th? di?n ra h?i kh?ng h?p l? l?m. C?ng có th? tác gi? c? tình nh? th?, dù sao ?ng c?ng ?? s?n m?y qu? l?a trong ?ó r?i mà.
May 13, 2023
you can't tell me this book wasn't inspired by Tomie by Junji Ito to some extent ?
super strong start, but dragged around the halfway point and never really picked back up for me again, but overall a fun spooky time
super strong start, but dragged around the halfway point and never really picked back up for me again, but overall a fun spooky time
December 11, 2017
2.5 stars
Goth is a collection of short horror stories that tie together, but at the same time don't. They can be read out of order, but I wouldn't advise it because there are teeny tiny details that will slip.
I feel really harsh giving 2.5 stars, but I really didn't quite enjoy reading this. I loved the idea of it, and I loved the content of the stories that were told. On the other hand, I hated the narrative. I hated how it was written and the voice. It was boring. The writing was too simple and to the point. I believe it boils down to two reasons.
1, the translation. Some things are lost in translation and that might have been the case here.
2, the stories were always told from the point of view of psychopaths, murderers, and serial killers. The author mentions in his afterword that he intended to write these characters as less than humans, as monsters. So I can understand why the narrative was so detached. It was really effective, but just not for me.
I read a few other reviews on this book before buying it because I knew literally nothing about it, and I was really excited because people raved about how scary and disturbing it was. Maybe I'm extremely desensitized to this kind of literature after my years and years of watching horror films and other spooky medias, but it wasn't that scary/disturbing. There was one story I was a little disturbed by because there was a few scenes where animals were harmed and I'm really sensitive to animals, but that's about it. I was never scared, never on the edge of my seat. Disappointing.
One thing I REALLY liked about this book was the way that Otsuichi would tell the story but add a twist to every single one of them. He would be writing as if something completely predictable was going to happen, almost getting right to the climax then...BAM. Plot twist. I loved it and it always had me second guessing what the hell I was reading.
Despite my reaction to this one, I am interested in reading more Japanese horror novels in the future. It wasn't so bad that it turned me away for good. So stay tuned!
Goth is a collection of short horror stories that tie together, but at the same time don't. They can be read out of order, but I wouldn't advise it because there are teeny tiny details that will slip.
I feel really harsh giving 2.5 stars, but I really didn't quite enjoy reading this. I loved the idea of it, and I loved the content of the stories that were told. On the other hand, I hated the narrative. I hated how it was written and the voice. It was boring. The writing was too simple and to the point. I believe it boils down to two reasons.
1, the translation. Some things are lost in translation and that might have been the case here.
2, the stories were always told from the point of view of psychopaths, murderers, and serial killers. The author mentions in his afterword that he intended to write these characters as less than humans, as monsters. So I can understand why the narrative was so detached. It was really effective, but just not for me.
I read a few other reviews on this book before buying it because I knew literally nothing about it, and I was really excited because people raved about how scary and disturbing it was. Maybe I'm extremely desensitized to this kind of literature after my years and years of watching horror films and other spooky medias, but it wasn't that scary/disturbing. There was one story I was a little disturbed by because there was a few scenes where animals were harmed and I'm really sensitive to animals, but that's about it. I was never scared, never on the edge of my seat. Disappointing.
One thing I REALLY liked about this book was the way that Otsuichi would tell the story but add a twist to every single one of them. He would be writing as if something completely predictable was going to happen, almost getting right to the climax then...BAM. Plot twist. I loved it and it always had me second guessing what the hell I was reading.
Despite my reaction to this one, I am interested in reading more Japanese horror novels in the future. It wasn't so bad that it turned me away for good. So stay tuned!
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