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[DeepL Translation - needs review] An acquaintance was considering purchasing a second-hand house in Tokyo. It seemed to be an ordinary house with an open and bright interior, but there was a "mysterious space" in the floor plan. When he showed the floor plan to an architect he knew, he was told that there was "something strange" about the house here and there. What is the truth behind the mysterious floor plan? Who is the former resident who suddenly disappeared?
(Translator: DeepL)
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(3.64/5)Short, Sweet, Gripping
This is a very short but gripping book, making it a great read when you want something light.
The start was a little boring as the main character looks into this weird house's layout, but I couldn't put it down when the story kicked off.
As it's so short, the characters aren't fleshed out, and there are some wild jumps in logic, but it was overall a fun ride.
It only took me 3.5 hours to read and I finished it in a day. Highly recommended.
I'm putting a 5 star because of how much I enjoyed the book overall
learning wise I also think this is great since the descriptions are very clear, the grammar is simple and the process of the storytelling is very smooth. adding to that the floor plans given in the book, and as a pdf in the audiobooks version, it makes learning vocab around the subject very easy.
BUT a warning about the ending (and this is relevant ONLY to the ending), it really is not good lol
竜頭蛇尾
変な家 are 竜頭蛇尾 like two pieces that fit together, like a match made in heaven. The first 70% or so are terrific, that's 竜頭. The ending of the book is, in my opinion, 蛇尾 or くそ.
Let me explain. The first 70% are fascinating, we're getting introduced to a handful of characters. They're not really fleshed out but good enough to create a picture in our head so that we can fill out the blanks ourselves. Most of the time they're having a dialogue and we also see, with added pictures in the book, the ex
Interesting mystery story based on house floor-plans.
The language isn't difficult, but this has little furigana. Even names rarely have furigana. There's also a nice mixture of styles used since the mystery includes some letters, notices, etc.
I agree about the ending. It falls flat after a great build. Still I enjoyed the journey until that point
Someone looks at a floor plan, consults someone else about it, and together they concoct the wildest theory about what must have been going on in that house. That's about it.
I deliberately used the word "someone", because all characters in the book were so featureless they could barely be called characters at all. Coupled with totally uninspiring language, this hardly felt like literature of any sort. Apparently, it was first published on youtube, which makes total sense in hindsight.
If you'
Content warnings: child abuse, murder
As a note, I listened to the audiobook, but do not own the text. My audiobook had a PDF accompaniment of the house diagrams, but I only looked at them once or twice. They're described pretty thoroughly so I didn't really need to keep referring to them.
I agree with Druadan's assessment of this book having a stronger opening than ending. The writing isn't great, but it was at least interesting at the beginning. The ending felt muddled, untidy, and ultimat
Engaging Mystery with a Convoluted Finish: A Mixed Yet Recommended Read
I was thoroughly engaged and curious throughout the book. I loved the mystery, and despite encountering some challenging kanjis, it was a quick read. The first 70% is awesome. However, like other readers, I found the last 30% to be long and almost tedious. The story became convoluted with too many names to keep track of, making it hard to remember who was who by the end. Despite this, I’d still recommend it.