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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unexpectedly excellent, December 24, 2008
For most, goth is a style, a fascination with darkness while standing safely in the light. In Otsuichi's "GOTH: A Novel of Horror", it's little more than a word that could only hint at the macabre nature of these characters and stories. GOTH is more accurately described as a collection of stories connected by the two main characters. Morino is quiet, virtually silent and goes to virtually any lengths to isolate herself from her classmates and repel those who are attracted to her pale beauty. Kitazawa is a kindred spirit, but one who has learned to put up a cheery, joking front that hide his true self. ("Can you teach me to smile like that?" Morino asks when they first meet.) Kitazawa has an innate ability to track down and uncover serial criminals of the most horrific kind. Morino has a similar knack for being singled out as a victim. This is how they are drawn together throughout the book. It is not quite a romance. Both would find the other's death as fascinating as they would their own.
The stories focus on perpetrators of incomprehensibly unspeakable crimes: a man who assaults victims to collect their hands, the serial murderer of pet dogs, an avid gardner who becomes fascinated with planting children alive in graves. Otsuichi lets us look into the minds of those who are most often described as mindless monsters. He is neither judgmental nor sensational. He leave both to the prattle of reality TV coverage and local gossip that serve as little more than background noise.
According to the book's afterword, Goth was Otsuichi's first attempt at the genre known as "light fiction" in Japan. Traditionally, these are works of simple plots and marginal writing quality, suitable to pass the time on trains and subways. In this effort, the author failed. Goth won one of Japan's most prestigious mystery writing awards. Even though this is not a "graphic novel" in the sense that another review implied (there are no pictures, it's all words), the images are vivid and the descriptions are truly immersive. He is a superb writer and storyteller. The endings of his stories are utterly unique. For a reader, it's like driving the last few miles of a twisting mountain road. But after a last turn where you expect to see the familiar lights of home, you discover that there is nothing under your wheels but darkness and you're left with that tingle of giddiness in the split second before you begin to fall.
There is a good chance that the success of this book may result in a movie deal in Japan. Sadly, the world has only known one director who could have done this book justice and that brilliant British immigrant to Hollywood passed away in 1980.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Body parts and Penmanship, May 13, 2009
Imagine finding out that a book you have found contains the inner thoughts to someone beyond dark and that it reveals things that even the police have yet to find (and, no, I'm not talking about finding the journal of some soul-stealing lawyer). Now imagine that the darkness it reveals deals with actions that include the removal of organs, the taking of tongues and eyelids and ears, followed by the painstaking task of nailing someone to a tree. What would you do? In the case of Otsuichi's Goth we see two character's reactions to one such situation, in which they opt to keep the book and - well, it is worth reading to see what happens next.
As with many TokyoPop books, this has a feel that is far more sinister than most US releases and says it is markets to a 14 + crowd. Unlike many of these books, however, it has no pictures so it relies on words to describe exactly what has happened. The art of conception on a blackboard made of wording can be much more bleak that one first envisions, with the idea of body part removal not exactly touch-and-go. It is exactly what it proclaims itself to be on the back of the book - it has a bleakness hidden within it that I was drawn toward because of the excellent descriptions inside. The writing and the characterization are superb in here, and the book is not made for the squeamish. Instead, it draws on some rather morbid themes, keeping death in its pocket like so many would keep a stick of gum. I like that and the descriptive nature that the pages offer, and I like the way everything isn't just given to you. To find out more you have to read more, and 229 pages goes quickly that way.
If you want something worth reading and don't mind graphic details as the plot develops, then this would be something worth checking out. The murders, coupled with that Tokyopop feel, really manages to get under the skin and keep one reading. It also whispers sweet nothings into the ear that are well worth listening to, and it keeps the mind occupied and guessing at what will happen next.
Gorily worth reading (and loving).
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Macabre Journey, April 27, 2009
This book was unlike anything I had read before. It's a mystery novel, but with a dark twist. It was very interesting to put the pieces from each short story together. If you are otaku, like mysteries, or are just looking for something different, this book is for you.
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