暗獸: 續三島屋奇異百物語

三島屋変調百物語 #2

by Miyuki Miyabe, 宮部美幸, 高詹燦 (Translator)

噓，這兒的規矩是「說過就忘，聽過就忘」。

江戶神田町的提袋名店「三島屋」裡，有個神祕的「黑白之間」。
據說，背負哀傷過去的美麗姑娘阿近，在此蒐集奇聞怪談。
每當街坊鄰居不留神，藏著不可思議故事的訪客便悄悄上門……

〈逃走的水〉
牧馬少年偶然遇見自稱山神的小女孩，
從此，只要他一靠近，水就消失得一滴不剩……

〈竹林裡冒出一千根針〉
針線屋養在深閨的千金小姐終於出閣，
然而，上花轎的竟是陌生的麻臉女子……

〈暗獸〉
私塾的老師傅帶著妻子入住空屋「繡球花宅邸」，
意外發現一團天真淘氣猶如孩童的黝黑生物。
深深戀慕人類、卻無法待在人類身邊的「黑助」到底是什麼？

〈吼佛〉
偏僻的貧窮村落裡，憑空出現能治百病的木佛像，
於是，人們漸漸不再相信寺裡供奉的大佛……

Genres: Japanese Literature, Fiction

528 pages, Paperback

Published July 31, 2012

About the author

See also 宮部 みゆき (Japanese language profile) and 宮部美幸 (Chinese language profile).

Miyuki Miyabe (宮部みゆき Miyabe Miyuki) is a popular contemporary Japanese author active in a number of genres including science fiction, mystery fiction, historical fiction, social commentary, and juvenile fiction.
Miyabe started writing novels at the age of 23. She has been a prolific writer, publishing dozens of novels and winning many major literary prizes, including the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize in 1993 for Kasha and the Naoki Prize in 1998 for Riyū [The Reason] (理由). A Japanese film adaptation of Riyû, directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi, was released in 2004.

Reviews

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read historical novels set in Japan before the 1868 Meiji Restoration (after 1868, Japan rapidly became a "Western" type nation i.e. Imperialism+colonization).
Reasons? Because the Edo period (1603-1868) Japan had a COMPLETELY different culture than what I'm familiar with today.
The system of the society was different, e.g. the names/system of the "police" as we know today, or all the "four occupations(士農工商)" systems, how people wore their hair, or even the meaning of kimono. They're all changed. And because of this, I had a hard time imagining what's going on in the book.
(come to think of it, if it were set in Elizabethan England or Regency era (like Jane Austen novels! <3), I don't have any problem... hmmm I wonder why. Maybe because the modern-day England and the England that I read in those books don't sound that different from each other.)

But I like Miyuki Miyabe's historical novel. She does explain things in detail, but not too much to put me off from reading. Her characters have characteristics that's not too modern-sounding (or dare I say "woke"), yet likable.
(It occurred to me that most of the historical novel written by her (and the ones I've read so far) have a headstrong yet compassionate young girl as the main character. And a bit of a supernatural added to the mix.)

This book had those too. There were some parts that were slightly boring for me but overall, I loved this book. Especially, when I read the 3rd story, I cried my eyes out. Who would've thought that the story about the haunted house could make me cry so hard? (I hope that's not too much of a spoiler...)
Now I understand what the title あんじゅう meant.

Below are just my spoilerly scream:
暗獣！くろすけ！紫陽花屋敷が感じた「寂しい」という気持ちが妖物に化したもの！人が来てよろこぶくろすけ！でも人間がいると屋敷は寂しいと思わないから、くろすけには体に毒！うぁあああああああ(号泣)健気にお月見するところとか、歌を歌ってみるとか、人間に触られると体が弱るのに、人をかばうとか！
*was reading the chapter 3 again* *cries again*
*ahem*

Now I have to read the 1st book in this series (I picked up this book w/o knowing it's the 2nd book in the series. I didn't even know this was a book series.).

[Tu K]

에도시대의 심리상담사?
옛시대의 너무나도 현대적인 사람들.

전작인 흑백보다는 아쉽다.

[Hsin Tseng · Rating 5 out of 5]

喜歡膽小溫暖 努力傳達心意的暗獸

[Emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4話ともおもしろくて読み始めたらあっという間だった。読み終えて表紙見ると切ない気持ちになる。登場人物が増えてきて賑やかな感じも楽しくて良い。