Strangers

STRANGERS is a very unusual ghost story.What's unusual is the sheer normalcy of the ghosts.They look like regular living people and pretty much act that way .There's no haunting or haunted house here. The protagonist interacts with the ghosts as you would with living people.At first they seem essentially benign but gradually it becomes apparent that they are sapping the lead characters physical vitality.Near the end we also find out one of the ghosts is definitely up to no good.The ghosts disappear near the end and that is no more explained than was their appearance in the first place.In many stories that would be irritating.Here, it's no problem.The ghosts are mostly a vehicle for exploring the psyche of the main character.(But let me be clear , this is not ambiguous TURN OF THE SCREW territory.These are definitely ghosts).Ghost story lovers should appreciate the novels ingenuity.Yet , those who aren't can enjoy it as a good portrait of a lonely alienated man in contemporary urban Japan.

Good and interesting read

Strangers was a fast read, enjoyable and well worth the time. It was a perfect in-between book and by that I mean after reading a good sized novel and needing to get a new one to sink your teeth in - this book fits perfectly in-between the time you get that new tome. Not a masterpiece by any means, but at the end of the story i felt satisfied and had a soft smile on my face.

Ordered the book as this month's Book Club read.

I bought this book and was not disappointed. For anyone who has lost a parent and longed for the chance to go back in time to be the child you once were without any of the adult cares you now have and to just see them, hold them once more perhaps tell them just how much you loved them and miss them then this is the book for you with a bittersweet twist at the end. A delightful engaging book.