Eleven strange buildings. One terrible secret.
A lonely hut in the woods.
A hidden chamber.
A mysterious shrine.
A home in flames.
A nightmarish prison…
Each of the buildings in this book tells a chilling story. Each one is part of a puzzle.
Look closely… and you’ll see that everything is connected.
All leading to a revelation so horrifying you won’t want to believe it.
Millions of readers have become addicted to solving Uketsu’s dark mysteries.
Strange Buildings is the strangest, and darkest, so far.
I'm delighted to be sharing my thoughts on Strange Buildings by Uketsu today. Many thanks to Nikki Mander from Pushkin Press for sending me a copy of the novel.
Strange Buildings is the third book in Uketsu's horror mysteries series, following Strange Pictures and Strange Houses. At the start, the first person narrator explains that following publication of Strange Houses, people started sending him their own house stories and his subsequent research into eleven of the buildings became this book. Although it is a sequel of sorts, it isn't necessary to have read any of the previous novels.
Rather than being a traditional story, Strange Buildings is a collection of separate reports or files which all look at a different unsettling story connected to a house or building. There are also floor plans and diagrams throughout, which become particularly fascinating during the latter part of the book when the awful truth about what connects these buildings is gradually revealed. With dark tales of murder, abuse and indoctrination, each mystery is intriguing in its own right though; there are stories about hallways to nowhere, creepy watermills, cult halls and hidden rooms.
Readers are encouraged to analyse the case reports and illustrations to draw their own conclusions. One name in particular keeps cropping up, however, although it is clear they are guilty of negligence, quite how so many lives are impacted, isn't disclosed until much later in the book. After the eleven files have been described, the narrator meets with a friend who helps him unpick the reports and reminiscences; there are some startling revelations which made me want to go back and reread some of the chapters with the benefit of hindsight.
Although there are some poignant stories here – the one about a neglected boy is especially affecting – this isn't a character driven novel at all. We do learn about some of their back stories which explains their actions but there isn't any great character development or subsequent emotional involvement with the narrative. Instead, it is a cleverly devised puzzle book featuring a few red herrings, plot twists and 'aha' moments. There is one murder mystery which is a bit of an outlier as its connection to the other stories feels more abstract and it doesn't figure in his friend's deductions. It's a shame the tragic events here aren't looked at in more detail because it is arguably one of the most shocking files. However, its later omission doesn't detract from the sense of satisfaction as the horrifying truth is finally realised.
Strange Buildings is the sort of quietly disturbing book which almost imperceptibly manoeuvres its way under your skin and it played on my mind for some time afterwards. With its locked room riddles and apparently impossible conundrums, this is a chillingly addictive read and a memorably unique approach to mystery writing. A word here too for Jim Rion's translation which ensured the complex narrative flowed seamlessly throughout. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to reading more from Uketsu in the future.
Strange Buildings is published in the UK by Vertigo, purchasing links can be found here.
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