Book Review: Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yōko Ogawa

 

⋆⋆⋆⋆½

Content Warning: graphic violence, murder, child death.

A woman's heart beats outside her chest. An old man curates a collection of torture items in a museum. Strange vegetables grow like hands in a neighbor's garden. All these stories and more, loosely interwoven with one another, populate Ogawa's beautifully rendered tale. Having previously read her brilliant novel The Hotel Iris, I was very excited to pick this up. I'd actually been a touch hesitant to begin with, as there seemed to be a plethora of two- and three-star reviews, but once I started reading, I knew it would be a winner for me.

I'm not exactly sure why so many disliked this book. All of the stories were equally engaging, and when one ended I was sad to let it go, almost wishing that there was an entire book dedicated purely to whichever story I'd just read. However, as soon I would begin the next, I would be immediately sucked into the darkness lurking there. It's something I've noticed before in Ogawa's stories: her ability to make the dark so alluring. Beautiful, in spite of its grotesquery.

The ending was left a touch open, able to be interpreted in a few different ways, something I personally enjoy. Ogawa excels in allowing us to analyze everything we're given without over-explaining it to us, or assuming that we won't understand. The writing itself is lovely, lyrical without forgoing simplicity.

I would highly recommend to those who love horror, or the darker side of things, like I do. There's a lot of heaviness within this slim volume, however, so be aware if you decide to purchase it. I'll be looking forward to reading more from Ogawa in the future. She's quick on her way to becoming one of my favorite authors!