muriel_pritchett's reviews
147 reviews

Haruda is 47 years old and newly divorced. He works as a television writer and lives in an almost empty apartment block in Tokyo. The only other inhabitant is a young woman named Kei. After a difficult conversation with his producer friend Mayima, Haruda finds himself travelling to his childhood hometown where he encounters some important people from his past. 

Strangers is a creepy little tale. Haruda is in the dark and, as a result, so are we. He isn't a particularly likeable character (he hasn't bothered to see his teenage son in months and is initially quite mean to Kei) but I warmed to him as the story unfolded. He is presented as an unreliable narrator, which adds to the aimosphere of uncertainty. I had no idea what was going on at one point and couldn't wait to read more to find out. 

I read it with @dkmammy and would agree with her when she said that the ending felt rushed; everything is revealed and wrapped up very quickly but I was left satisfied by it. 

It's currently being adapted into a film and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I have no objections to Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal being cast in it either 😬