The Graveyard Apartment

Books | Fiction / Horror

(87)

Mariko Koike

One of the most popular writers working in Japan today, Mariko Koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. Known in particular for her hybrid works that blend these styles with elements of romance, The Graveyard Apartment is arguably Koike’s masterpiece. Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike’s novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family that believes it has found the perfect home to grow into, only to realize that the apartment’s idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil and that longer they stay, the more trapped they become.This tale of a young married couple who harbor a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a brand new apartment building built next to a graveyard. As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building start to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone... or something... lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.

Horror

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Author

Mariko Koike

Pages

336

Publisher

Macmillan

Published Date

2016-10-11

ISBN

1466865822 9781466865822

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"Super cool book. Really interesting story and creative storyline that leaves some things unexplained. Great if you like horror without a lot of gore!"

Darya 🖤

"Starts out as kind of a charming family drama and then ramps up the horror in the final third or so. What an ending."

Sarah Brown

"Ok, so I really did enjoy this book. It's a good read, a little slow at first, and really starts picking up about halfway through. There's a "but", and here it is... the end is left sort of open, as if there was a whole other chapter they forgot to put in. It's something that initially made me irritated, but then I thought on it and determined that this was still a good book (as evidenced by it upsetting me). So I would recommend it with that "but"."

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Alicia Gudge

"This book was so so. It wasn't scary in my opinion. I do like it because it's a rather charming sort of horror. There were events that I found interesting and I find the setting unique. Usually the setting of haunted places are houses, so it's a nice change to have one take place in an apartment building. It's more relatable to me this way. "

Babydoll Daydreams

"Disappointed. Didn't even finish it. Everyone said it was slow at first then jf gets good, but I just dont think it does. It's kind of a generic haunted house story, but just in an apartment building. And not even a generic Japanese story, it it felt like a standard American haunted house story. I dont want to spoil anything, but it was just filled with so many tropes that I just gave up. "

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Tyler Baker

"This was a fun little B-movie type book about a family that moves into an apartment building with a few strange issues and winds up caught up in things they can't understand. Things start out slow, almost a character study, and gradually ramp up to a crescendo. Some of the scares were great but I was kind of disappointed in the end that a few major plot threads seemed to kind of fall by the wayside."

awesome_user_984860

"I always whine and complain about wanting to read horror books with actual spooks in it. Nothing about fearing those who are alive, or humans being the real monsters; just good ol' spooks. Well, here I got just what I wanted. A dreary ambiance, dread that slowly builds up, ghosts and whatnot! A spectacular performance really... But then, the real horror of it all. An open ending that left me turning the pages over and over in case it was a lil joke by the author. I'm so mad I want to visit Japan and throw a tantrum at Mariko's door out of sheer frustration. Humans truly are the real monsters"