The Summer of the Ubume [Paperback]

Natsuhiko Kyogoku (Author), Alexander O. Smith (Translator)

Book Description

Release date: August 18, 2009

In Japanese folklore, a ghost that arise from the burial of a pregnant woman is an Ubume.

The Summer of Ubume is the first of Japan's hugely popular Kyogokudo series, which has 9 titles and 4 spinoffs thus far.

Akihiko "Kyogokudo" Chuzenji, the title's hero, is an exorcist with a twist: he doesn't blieve in ghosts. To circumnavigate his clients' inability to come to grips with a problem being their own, he creates fake supernatural explanations--ghosts--that he the "exorcises" by way of staged rituals. His patients' belief that he has vanquished the ghost creating their problems cures them.

In this first adventure, Kyogokudo, must unravel the mystery of a woman who has been pregnant for 20 months and find her husband, who disappeared two months into the pregnancy. And unravel he does, in the book's final disturbing scene.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Natsuhiko Kyogoku is an expert in Japanese folklore, especially monsters, ghosts, and supernatural phenomena. Having never been published before, he brought the manuscript of The Summer of Ubume to the publisher himself, and it debuted in 1994 with great success. The unusual nature of how the title got published and its success inspired the creation of the Mephisto Award, which honors new mystery and fantasy writers.

The second book of this series won the Japan Mystery Writers Association Award in 1996. Kyogoku won the prestigious Naoki Prize in 2004.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Vertical; Original edition (August 18, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1934287253
• ISBN-13: 978-1934287255
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars As compelling and thought-provoking as anything I've ever read. January 14, 2010

By Jacob

Format:Paperback

Natsuhiko Kyogoku's Summer of the Ubume is smart simply because it that's what it is. It crams the ancient with the old and deftly drops it within modernity and watches as the two tear each other apart. The fight that transpires is an intellectual hail-storm of brilliance.

This book is one hell of a read. While it may not be as popular as some of the more mainstream literature of the day it is well worth the time of anyone looking for a deftly translated saga with a wonderful plot.

However, because of all of the time and energy required to translate these glorious epics (there are 9 in the Kyogokudo Series, I believe) Vertical needs a great deal more copies to sell before they can even begin to consider translating further volumes. If you have any interest in horror, drama, or thriller novels don't hesitate to pick this up. I will make you think and I really can't recommend this highly enough.

Please buy this book, while different from what fills the print medium today, it is a glorious tale that proves that a good story can and does come from all parts of the world.

Natsuhiko's other work can be seen in Moryou no Hako (Box of Goblins) and Requiem from the Darkness (aka 100 Stories) both are wonderful and serve as a further chance to Marvel at the wonders of good storytelling.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book January 4, 2010

By Amagiri

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I found about the Kyogokudo series through a recent anime called Mouryou no Hako, the second book in the series. The Summer of Ubume is the first.

I found the pace of the book to be rather slow in the beginning chapter, but once the investigative work started up, I couldn't put the novel down. I read a good majority of it in two days times.

His character Akihiko Chuuzenji purports, "There is nothing strange in this world." The author, Natsuhiko Kyogoku, attempts to meld what is considered supernatural with the real world. He writes about a post-WWII modernizing Japan that still holds traditional superstitions such as possessing people with spirits. The lectures given by Chuuzenji often attempt to debunk the idea of spirits as the cause of a particular misfortune or explain certain phenomena like clairvoyance as something very real and of this world. It can be heavy at times, but the theories that he throws out are interesting and makes one think.

I would recommend this novel to people who enjoy the mystery genre but are not faint of heart. The truth behind the case is rather gruesome and disturbing, and the author does not mind detailing it. It is also a look into Japanese folklore and spirits, a whole different culture.

I hope that Vertical Inc. will be able to translate the whole series, as this series is like nothing I've encountered before.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and thought-provoking supernatural mystery January 30, 2011

By Laura Wyrick

Format:Paperback

The Summer of the Ubume is the first novel by Natsuhiko Kyogoku, and is the first--alongside Loups-Garous--to get an English translation. Although the plot veers between the supernatural/theological and a noir-influenced mystery, the novel itself feels ambitious and unusual to read. (His later novels are award-winning, notably the next in the series, Moryou no hako, as well as Requiem from the Darkness, which some anime fans may be familiar with.)

Although it has been noted that the opening chapter can be long and somewhat tedious, readers with an interest in the Japanese mythology (specifically the eponymous Ubume, a relatively unknown spirit in the West) or sociological effects on local superstition, will likely enjoy the section quite a bit.

Regardless, once the plot kicks in, it's very close to a page-turner, while retaining the cerebral qualities that make it stand out. It is a difficult book to recommend sight-unseen simply because I don't think it will appeal to *every* reader, despite being an excellent and gripping read. I suggest that interested readers who are unsure as to whether they will enjoy it, try to read a sample section and see if it seems interesting.

I do promise that if readers get past the opening section, that the mystery is actually quite engaging and I'd imagine very few people will figure it out in its elaborate entirety.

As a note, Vertical has done a lovely job of retaining the feel of the Japanese, while making it also a pleasurable read in English. It is not, I imagine, an easy task, given the density of some sections. They have also kept/added editorial footnotes sparingly, when needed to explain a particularly Japanese term or custom. Their thoughtful translation has kept even a plot-critical misunderstanding based on Japanese characters, and they have been able to make it comprehensible to all readers without completely localizing the misunderstanding (which would have been the only other option). Overall, a really admirable job on a challenging text.

Disclaimers aside, I highly recommend this book for those who are used to a more deliberately paced thriller, and especially those who enjoy a philosophical challenge, alongside that of a mystery.