It reminded me a little bit of The Cabin at the End of the World – though, make no mistake: it’s the paranormal causing chaos in this book, not deranged humans. The anxiety and terror are palpable as the characters fight for their lives against supernatural entities, and the book actually starts to take on a psychological thriller aspect. We’re talking “hold-your-breath-and-pray-like-hell” intense. The second half of the book gets seriously weird, and, as one back cover blurb promises, the last 30 or so pages are unbelievably intense. Everything escalates until BOOM! You got yourself a bonified haunting and everyone’s traumatized. Neighbors and friends warn you about where you live, but you ignore them, along with your own instincts about what may be going on around you. The premise of The Graveyard Apartment is admittedly familiar: a nice, happy family moves into a new home and, right away, creepy things start to happen.
So, it was a real treat to read a Japanese horror novel.
Up until now, though, I’ve only watched Japanese horror movies. And, we all know how The Grudge made me afraidof small Asian boys for life. In my opinion, no one does horror quite like the Japanese. No matter what I did, the lure of The Graveyard Apartment called me back with its haunting refrain. I couldn’t read this book quickly enough.
It’s really hard to pull your head out of the terrifying world that the Kano family becomes trapped in. This is the kind of scary book I love most: the kind that makes you jump at every little sound, that urges you to check over your shoulder for things you know probably aren’t there. The sense of dread and unease that permeates the The Graveyard Apartment stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. THAT’S when I knew this intensely creepy, Japanese horror story had really gotten to me. Then I had a dream that I was trying to herd my Japanese family (which I don’t have) out of our high-rise apartment building (which I don’t live in) that’s teeming with ghosts. I didn’t think I was spooked by The Graveyard Apartment.
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