Nails and Eyes (Japanese Novellas)

These three short stories further cemented my budding love for Japanese fiction (horror/thriller specifically).The first and longest, Nails and Eyes, was tense and unsettling. After a preschool-aged girl’s mother dies, her father moves his affair partner in and the the girl keeps a watchful eye on everything the woman does. While it did feel a little off, it didn’t feel quite like horror until close to the end, which made the sudden horror all the more jarring. I actually said out loud “Uh, what the f***!?” This story made me wish I had a friend I could force it on so I could see if they say “Uh, what the f***!?” in the same place I did.The second story, What Shoko Forgets, was equal parts horrifying and devastating. A grumpy old woman stuck in a hospital after a stroke remembers and then forgets something every night. This was my favorite story, though I almost feel weird saying so. The second to last paragraph killed me. It was beautifully written, so tragic and heart-wrenching. I’m not sure I’ve ever read anything like it and I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time.The third and last story, Minute Fears, was mysterious and nostalgic (I kind of felt like I was reading Goosebumps for adults). A mother wonders why her son is behaving strangely after coming home from his favorite playground. This one was my least favorite. It wasn’t necessarily bad, it just had really tough competition and it almost felt lighthearted in comparison.Overall a pretty good little collection. Still trying to decide whether or not I appreciate the amount of destruction What Shoko Forgets brought upon me.

Solid 3/5 from me.I was expecting this one to be more heavy handed with the horror, but it's actually subtle and kind of beautiful A sort of cozy horror, maybe? I was fully immersed in the narration of "Nails and Eyes" the way it was written, I just couldn't stop reading despite it being really sort of slow and boring? I just had to know where it was going. That ending though..."What Shoko Forgets" is definitely a traumatic and heart-breaking story a horror in its own right, but not a horror in the sense of the genre I'm use to reading. It is a story that will stick with me though."Minute Fears" is a ghost story of sorts and I think it was actually my favorite of the trio. In this one and the previous two the author leaves a lot open for the reader to interpret and I really like that as nothing an author can write will ever be as scary as what your mind conjures.

The book is a novella and two shorter stories. The translations were well done and the writing kept my interest. The Nails and Eyes novella left me wanting more. The horror of the stories tends to hover in the background, with the author allowing you to draw your own conclusions. Surprisingly I think I liked the short story Minute Fears the most. It was short but I liked the twist on urban legends and the fears of children. Overall, Fujino is great at setting up an atmosphere. Visually, I was able to imagine the stories playing out easily. All three stories left me with things to think about.

An interesting short story collection, the bulk of which is a story based on the title. I really enjoyed the methodical writing and randomly inserted bizarre moments to keep you engaged, however the airy and open ended conclusions to the stories didn’t feel like the correct fit. It was such a jarring contrast to the rest of the writing but maybe that was the point and I was just yearning for a solid ending. I really did love the first story, I think the character development and introspective nature only can come from really examining all the things we hate to admit about ourselves. And I just devour stuff like that.

This was definitely a very different read. I was very impressed with the way the author made these stories so subtle, yet so ominous at the same time. I think that this was a great read for people that really enjoy nuance and are drawn to the details. There was a novella and two short stories in this book and I was impressed. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley,

It was just meh 😕