Book Club: May 2025

MEETING INFORMATION:

WHEN: Friday, May 23rd @7:30 PM CST

WHERE: Discord- 'The Cornfield' voice chat channel

Lots of exiting changes are coming now that I have a final stamp of approval from the SSSSociety members. Book club, which was previously SSSSociety only, are now public! So, we welcome you to join our next meeting at the end of the month! (see meeting details above). This month's book might be more difficult for some people to get ahold of, but mine came quickly through the soulless channels of Amazonia...

I am a firm believer in not limiting one's reading space to works originally written in your native language. There is a world of writers out there and our next author is referred to as the "Stephen King of Japan" which definitely piqued my interest! I hope the translation holds up. I always thought it would be cool to live adjacent or next to a cemetery, which is the setting for this book. Here is what the publisher released:

A terrifying tale of a young family who move into an apartment building next to a graveyard and the horrors that are unleashed upon them. One of the most popular writers working in Japan today, Mariko Koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. Known in particular for her hybrid works that blend these styles with elements of romance, The Graveyard Apartment is arguably Koike’s masterpiece. Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike’s novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family that believes it has found the perfect home to grow in to, only to realize that the apartment’s idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil and that longer they stay, the more trapped they become. This tale of a young married couple who are harboring a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a brand-new apartment building built next to a graveyard. As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building begin to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone... or something... lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.

Format: 325 pages, Hardcover

First published: July 1, 1988

ISBN: 9781250060549 (ISBN10: 1250060540)

Language: English

Past Reads