Nails and Eyes

These three short stories further cemented my budding love for Japanese fiction (horror/thriller specifically).

The first and longest, Nails and Eyes, was tense and unsettling. After a preschool-aged girl's mother dies, her father moves his affair partner in and the the girl keeps a watchful eye on everything the woman does. While it did feel a little off, it didn't feel quite like horror until close to the end, which made the sudden horror all the more jarring. I actually said out loud “Uh, what the fuck!?” This little story made me wish I had a friend I could force it on so I could see if they say “Uh, what the fuck!?” in the same place I did.

The second story, What Shoko Forgets, was equal parts horrifying and devastating. A grumpy old woman stuck in a hospital after a stroke remembers and then forgets something every night. This was my favorite story, though I almost feel weird saying so. The second to last paragraph killed me. It was beautifully written, so tragic and heart-wrenching, so unfortunately relatable. I'm not sure I've ever read anything like it and I'm going to be thinking about it for a long time. 

The third and last story, Minute Fears, was mysterious and nostalgic. A mother wonders why her son spends so much time at a playground hidden behind an old building. This one was my least favorite. It wasn't necessarily bad, it just had really tough competition and it almost felt lighthearted in comparison.

Overall a pretty good little collection. Still trying to decide whether or not I appreciate the amount of destruction What Shoko Forgets brought upon me.