くちぬい

by Masako Bandō, 坂東 眞砂子

放射能を逃れ、東京から四国の白縫へ疎開した夫婦。村には口を縫う神さまの言い伝えがあった。ホラー小説より恐ろしい、坂東眞砂子の最高傑作。書き下ろし長編小説。

312 pages, Tankobon Hardcover

First published September 26, 2011

Reviews

[Mizuki · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8 stars. The story is quite chilling and realistic, but I still think Dogs' Deity is even better!

At the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and the nuclear disaster soon followed, a pair of retired couple moved from Tokyo (under threat of nuclear pollution at that time) to a remote village to (hopefully) spend the rest of their old age in peace and quietness, but their peaceful life is soon disturbed by the villagers' strange attitude and a series of strange events happening around their household. Are the couple victims of group-bullying? Or something supernatural has been going on?

I'm surprised by how little paranormal happenings have taken place in the story, on the other hand I like how the novelist mentioned the difference between urban life style and the rural one, the uncommon practices in some Japanese villages, It's also chilling to know the novelist based the story on her own true experience living in the countryside at her old age (50-plus). It is not as threatening as the novelists' other paranormal novels. but it is still an interesting read.

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

有點無聊，偏民俗派推理