Japanese horror really just hits different.

Goth is one of those books that sits with you. It’s very dark.

Psychopathy. Madness. Obsession. And a bit of grief. It’s all packed into this very strange, deeply demented anthology— if that’s what we can call it.

The stories are interwoven, following fifteen year old Morino— a quiet, murder-obsessed teen girl, and her nameless male counterpart— who is quite disturbed. Both students are drawn to each other for one reason only. Their overwhelming obsession with brutal deaths.

Otsuichi has created a small town filled with serial killers in this novel. Morino and the nameless narrator always take part in trying to solve these vile and vicious murders— sometimes putting themselves in harm’s way.

And when I say in harm’s way, I mean cosplaying as serial killer victims to get a rise out of an active murderer. Now if that’s not some dark shit, I don’t know what is.

Though the storylines are always significantly and sometimes outlandishly different— the premise rarely changes. Morino and the unnamed boy are digging for clues and addressing killings and killers head on. It’s such an interesting concept. An entire town full of killers— what more can be asked for by the pair?

The stories oftentimes hit the fan with well written descriptions of gore, disturbing— and sometimes heart wrenching scenarios, and plot twists that smack you in the face. There’s a lot packed in here. And since the stories take place from different perspectives, sometimes it’s hard to tell who is narrating up until the last page in the chapter. This never deterred me, but made me excited. I thought it was pretty cool how Otsuichi made you play the murder-mystery brain game while reading. No wonder it won the Honkaku Mystery Award— though the author didn’t think it was deserved.

Sometimes reading Goth was like reading a fever dream— a dark fantasy with glimpses of a potential reality. I loved every part of it. The book was like a shape shifter— weaving into perspective, in and out of crime scenes, and taking us into the mind of the demented/mentally ill.

Goth was a lot to digest, but I loved it. I highly recommend this one to readers who are into Japanese horror books or just want to read about brutality and two kids trying to understand and relate to the killer.

I do recommended reading the author’s note in the back. It’s humorously informative and details the author’s meaning of the novel and its expectations. He even apologizes to the Goth community for using the title of the culture but not necessarily adding it into the book. If you’re looking for deeper insight and meaning about the novel, it’s a perfect post-read.

Hannibal meets... Murder, She wrote? I don't know, but this was a fun creepy read. Short stories somewhat linked by 2 amateur teen (goth) detectives. Warning for dog lovers, though -- there's a story 1/2 way in that does not end well for anything 4-legged.

When you find someone to match your freak

There are a few misleading things about this book to get out of the way first.

The structure: This is not a novel. This book consists of short stories with a central unnamed narrator (for the most part) who, along with one other character are a part of every story in some way. The description on the back of the book is HIGHLY misleading, as it only describes the first story. It was a little confusing for me, so hopefully that helps other people!

The title: I'm just going to let you know the title doesn't really have anything to do with the book. It is mentioned in one of the stories that one of the central characters dresses in the goth style (black clothes, heavy eyeliner, pale skin—you know the type) but other than that, it really is just a cool title, and honestly, a misuse of the term. The author even quips about it in his afterword, which I highly recommend reading.

Now, let's get down to the good stuff. This is a disturbingly creepy book. For the most part, the reader is inside the mind of an unnamed narrator who is obviously a sociopath with strange, violent fantasies. He has a fascination with the dark and macabre, to the point of starting his own amateur investigations into the strange murders, missing pets, and other weird happenings that go on in his town.

Sometimes involving the strange girl in class that no one wants to be friends with and sometimes investigating on his own, this narrator has a knack for uncovering other people's weird and dark secrets. But he doesn't want to turn them into the police or really get too involved at all. Instead, he just wants to know the truth or even mess with the person who thinks their darkness is a secret.

The cold almost clinical way the narrator views the horrific scenes he encounters creates a stark contrast between expectation and reality. To the reader, it is crazy and gruesome, but to him, it is like watching insects in a glass jar—even as he grapples with serial killers.

Otsuichi's writing (and/or the translation) is very clean, not a lot of fluff or overwrought detail. He gets right to the point with clear descriptions of what is going on, and that clarity makes it all the more terrifying.

Each story has a mystery element and I enjoyed trying to unravel exactly what was going on, trying to stay one step ahead of the creepy narrator. I never knew how he was going to react to situations, so that made him an even more unlikely antihero.

What is interesting is that unlike a lot (or maybe all?) of the J-horror I've read before this, there is nothing supernatural at play in these stories. And what's worse? Imagining that the girl rising up out of the well might actually crawl through your television (unlikely, though still scary) or a real-life psycho like the many between these pages?

I don't want to give away any specifics, but one of the reasons I found it so fascinating and terrifying is that sometimes you know the reason behind the horrible actions that people enact on others and sometimes the reason is never revealed—or maybe there isn't one.

To me, that's scarier.

An interesting book psychologically and viscerally.

One trigger warning: one of the stories does include violence toward animals, but that was honestly probably my favorite story. It is narrated in part by a dog and I found it really interesting to think about the different perspectives. It was reminiscent of Ken Greenhall's [b:Hell Hound|34508147|Hell Hound|Ken Greenhall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1488992266s/34508147.jpg|2793734].

I struggled with this a bit through the first half but really loved the second half. I didnt relish the abuse that was poured on people and tried to put my personal feelings aside and think of the quality of the stories.
The first half of the book didnt do much for me but as I read I began to appreciate more and more the world that was being wove around Morino and her new friend. By the time I was reading story 5 I was totally absorbed and the plots and suspense thickened wonderfully.

A series of interconnected suspense/horror stories revolving around Japanese High School Students who seem to attract the most vile of people japan has to offer. Murder and mutilation are the order of the day.

Very disturbing and mind boggling. Loved it.

Now this gruesome short story collection is worth the hype

My jaw hit the floor numerous times while reading and I couldn’t put it down.