Book Review: Strange Houses by Uketsu. Thank you Pushkin Press 🫶

0:00 This is an architectural fever dream. I was really excited to dive into Strange Houses by Oketu, especially after how much I enjoyed Strange Pictures earlier this year. So, when I saw the arc for Strange Houses available on Pushkin Press NetGalley and then got my request approved pretty quickly, I dropped what I was reading and jumped right in. The story kicks off with a writer being consulted by a friend about the purchase of a secondhand two stories house. When his friend showed the blueprint of the house to the writer, they told him they're concerned with a dead space on the ground floor. The writer decided to ask his architect friend, which then they noticed something weird and potentially horrifying about the design of the mysterious house whose previous owners, a young family of three, left

0:47 the house all of a sudden after living there for only a year. The book sticks to a similar format as Strange Pictures where characters piece together a string of unalivings through a back and forth interview style dialogues, but this time it centered around strange architectural blueprints. I found quite a number of parts in the story frustrating. There are a lot of assumptions thrown around. Some of them so ridiculous. The way characters just roll with the wildest theories felt a little unrealistic. Then there's the explanation near the end that goes on and on. The final quarter throws so many names at you that is hard for me to keep track and I low-key struggle to tell the characters apart. Like Strange Pictures, the structure is

1:32 very Q&A. characters constantly asking and answering to build the mystery, especially through weird blueprints and architectural quirks, but the translation this time felt a little stilted. The writing is still very simple, which makes it accessible, but it lacks the punch I was hoping for. Also, it wasn't puzzly enough because of my expectations from Strange Pictures. There were moments where I was really into it, though. Okasu has this way of making a floor plan feel creepy and menacing. Though some theories based on the layout made me think, "What the hell?" And yet, the story continues as if it all makes sense. The seriousness and ridiculousness of it all somehow just works and maybe I just gave in. Overall, Strange Houses was just okay

2:18 for me. It's not as strong or engaging as Strange Pictures. My expectations were probably too high going in.