At last, after a month or so of locking in, I actually managed to finish this 400+ page beast of a novel. I made a post on here a couple months ago about finishing 変な絵, and since then I ordered a copy of 変な地図 from Kinokuniya's online store (shipping was gnarly, but not too bad overall) and dove right in. I always end up changing my opinion after each one, but I think this has been my favorite of all Uketsu's novels. The story is really deep and drawn-out, making the feeling of mystery linger well. I think it's really neat how each of his works center around family (沖上、片淵、今野、緋倉) and the effects of the past on the present. I would 100% reccomend this to every J-horror fan learning Japanese, just maybe wait for the price to climb down a bit 😅
I seriously can't believe how far I've come in this language. Years ago I was struggling to tell the difference between ン and ソ, now I'm reading best-selling novels made for native speakers. It hasn't been easy, and I still have a long way to go to match my listening skills to my reading skills. But, with a good dictionary and genuine interest, you and I can achieve fluency.
Also, if anyone else has read this let me know what your thoughts were! I'd love to discuss, no one I know has even heard of Uketsu… 🙁
by ashmerit