davinalang's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Rape
Good twist and cliff hanger ending. Felt like a male written novel. Even though I’ve seen the movie the book felt like a much better telling of the actual story.bookshelfbys's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape
vampirehelpdesk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
One of the rare cases of the movie being better than the book. Honestly, all I got from this book is men are dogs, and I know that. I thankfully think that is the point and it’s not coming from the author’s own sexist views, so points for that. Just the most apathetic, misogynistic main characters. Sadako, girl, you have my support. Sadly, the scariest moment is the opening of the book, and the rest is two dudes, who are shit to women and are definitely a little gay for each other, trying to solve a Scooby Doo mystery. I am glad this book exists only because it spawned the American remake which is my hot take favorite horror movie.
Graphic: Transphobia and Rape
mermaibee's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
If you want to be on the edge of your seat and constantly anxious, but in a chill kinda way, this book is for you.
Moderate: Rape
superb_piano9536's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Rape
amothers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
3.5
Moderate: Rape, Transphobia, and Homophobia
relliepi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Minor: Rape and Murder
ahh_listen's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Minor: Rape
jaylee_books's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death, Child death, and Rape
Moderate: Chronic illness and Death of parent
thexwalrus's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
so i don't know how to rate this, and i'll be thinking about it for the next few days, but i want to give my reasons for being unsure of a rating in my review.
content warnings: rape and transphobia
structurally, i think this is one of the best horror novels i've ever read. it doesn't overstay its welcome and it's paced like a thriller more than a horror. that being said, though, the elements of the story are 100% pure horror, even though the mystery of how to save themselves after watching the tape is the driving force of the narrative.
on a sentence level, it's also beautifully written. it's snappy and natural, with conversations never feeling forced and characters' voices feeling extremely strong and distinct throughout. this is a credit to both the translator and suzuki himself. it manages to convey tension better than most books i've read recently - i actually had to put it down after the first viewing of the tape because i was so unsettled by it! it wasn't even that scary, but it was enough to make me feel creeped out. that's a huge point in its favor.
the casual discussion of rape, and one of the two focal characters being a rapist caught me off guard. i could handwave the misogyny of asakawa as a product of the time - this originally released in 1991, which means it was most likely written with the attitudes of the 80s. <i>ha ha, i wish my wife talked less,</i> whatever. i don't like it, but i get it, and it doesn't affect my enjoyment of a book. but the rapist thing was just... surprising? it didn't get described in too much detail for the most part - but even then, it was not extremely descriptive beyond (spoiler and a paraphrased example of the description of rape beneath the spoiler tag) but it's something that warranted a warning and definitely threw me out of the narrative for a bit.
the transphobia in the final act felt super unnecessary as well, despite arguably being a product of its time. it soured things for me. it was blatant and impossible to ignore, considering how much of a chapter it took up and how it was poised as a crux of the entire story. it didn't really need to be there? i'm sure you could skip over that part if it wasn't scattered throughout multiple paragraphs in the final few chapters - so i can't even provide page numbers for the physical copy to help out and make sure people know when it's coming. it starts when
the ending sent a chill through my spine, and while i'm normally a little apprehensive about horror stories that give you that wink and nudge that the horror wasn't truly over, this was the absolute best manifestation of it i've ever seen. it made me want to pick up the sequel. it made me want to watch the original movie that scared me shitless with previews alone when i was a kid! that's powerful. it was so interesting and compelling and it left me feeling mostly positive about the book, i think, but the above two points leave me so unsure on how to rate this.
if you go into this with knowledge of the way rape is discussed and the knowledge that transphobia is present, if you like horror, i think you may enjoy this. but those two factors are undoubtedly parts of this book and i don't blame you if it makes you skip it.
content warnings: rape and transphobia
structurally, i think this is one of the best horror novels i've ever read. it doesn't overstay its welcome and it's paced like a thriller more than a horror. that being said, though, the elements of the story are 100% pure horror, even though the mystery of how to save themselves after watching the tape is the driving force of the narrative.
on a sentence level, it's also beautifully written. it's snappy and natural, with conversations never feeling forced and characters' voices feeling extremely strong and distinct throughout. this is a credit to both the translator and suzuki himself. it manages to convey tension better than most books i've read recently - i actually had to put it down after the first viewing of the tape because i was so unsettled by it! it wasn't even that scary, but it was enough to make me feel creeped out. that's a huge point in its favor.
the casual discussion of rape, and one of the two focal characters being a rapist
Spoiler
(or so we think until the end, when everything is thrown into question)Spoiler
there is one instance in the final act that got a bit more descriptive, with dr. nagao discussing sadako's death,Spoiler
"sadako fought and bit me and i was repulsed when i finished"the transphobia in the final act felt super unnecessary as well, despite arguably being a product of its time. it soured things for me. it was blatant and impossible to ignore, considering how much of a chapter it took up and how it was poised as a crux of the entire story. it didn't really need to be there? i'm sure you could skip over that part if it wasn't scattered throughout multiple paragraphs in the final few chapters - so i can't even provide page numbers for the physical copy to help out and make sure people know when it's coming. it starts when
Spoiler
dr. nagao is talking to asakawa, and it will be present from then on in tiny parts of paragraphs.the ending sent a chill through my spine, and while i'm normally a little apprehensive about horror stories that give you that wink and nudge that the horror wasn't truly over, this was the absolute best manifestation of it i've ever seen. it made me want to pick up the sequel. it made me want to watch the original movie that scared me shitless with previews alone when i was a kid! that's powerful. it was so interesting and compelling and it left me feeling mostly positive about the book, i think, but the above two points leave me so unsure on how to rate this.
if you go into this with knowledge of the way rape is discussed and the knowledge that transphobia is present, if you like horror, i think you may enjoy this. but those two factors are undoubtedly parts of this book and i don't blame you if it makes you skip it.
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Rape