Dark Water

by Koji Suzuki

A selection of deliciously spooky short stories from the Japanese master of suspense, the acclaimed author of RING. The film DARK WATER is based on the first story in the collection.

Suzuki demonstrates the power of his psychological insight into the mechanics of fear in this highly atmospheric collection of stories unified by the theme of water.

Following her divorce, Yoshimi Matsubara lives with her five-year-old daughter Ikuko in a depressing and damp apartment block on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. But when a child’s red bag keeps turning up in unexpected places, Yoshino’s sanity seems to be threatened, and she soon begins to fear that her daughter’s life is at risk.

Kensuke Suehiro jumps at the chance to visit a restricted island in Tokyo Bay, about which he once heard a rather strange story. But when he arrives, he finds far more than he bargained for.

Fisherman Hiroyuki is embittered and unhappy in his marriage. But getting rid of his wife turns out to be anything but easy, especially when his own boat seems to be against him.

Family man Sugiyama finds himself trapped in an underwater cave. Can he find a way to communicate with his beloved son one last time?

Just four examples from this beautifully crafted collection of stories filled with suspense, tension and drama. A perfect introduction to one of Japan’s top literary stars.

• ISBN10: 0007207417
• ISBN13: 9780007207411
• Publish Date: 1 August 2005 (first published 1 December 2004)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 21 February 2008
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[nannah]

This is a nice collection of short stories. That said, its tagline is "Terror reaches new depths" and it's marketed as a horror book.

Terror? nah. None of these stories were particularly terrifying or even scary. Eerie, maybe some of them, but most of them just gave off a slightly odd atmosphere at most. It could the translation, which was awkward and very heavy, but the stories themselves didn't make any chills go down my spine.

There was also a theme of violence against women that made me uneasy, but then again, that's a staple of the horror genre, isn't it?

I don't know, at the end, the book was just okay.