“When they come, someone dies…” After a quiet boy named Kaname joins the class, Mio reaches out to him, hoping to help the odd boy settle into his new environment. Kaname takes to her a little too well, however, asking to come to her house and then showing up all the time. Frightened, Mio seeks help from an upperclassman she admires…but the nameless wickedness is already coming. It's close. It's growing. A horror-mystery novel by famed author Mizuki Tsujimura. (Yen Press)
Yami-hara: an abbreviation of “yami harassment.”
Yami Harassment: A compound of Yami (“darkness) and harassment; unwelcome conduct toward a person stemming from darkness in one's own mind or heart. Applies to any action that threatens or violates the dignity of another person, regardless of intent or awareness.
Tapping into the horror of everyday micro-transgressions, Mizuki Tsujimura crafts a peculiar horror anthology with overarching story elements in her most recent novel, “Yami-Hara.” The work keeps elements of fantasy explored in the author's previous works, “Lonely Castle in the Mirror,” while tapping into an inherently sinister aspect of human nature–the power words can hold over one another.
Across the five stories, Tsujimura creates ‘monsters' who thrive on wearing down their victims. However, these otherworldly beings also thrive in familiarity and appear as, unfortunately, common toxic personalities; a nosy neighbor, a gaslighting partner, a manipulative co-worker, and a nagging child. This escalates the fear in the book into the realm of plausibility as even stripped of their otherworldly powers, the creatures that appear encapsulate social fears which almost all readers will have experienced.
Told over five chapters/segments, the novel's strengths can best be summarized within the second chapter, ‘Neighbors,' wherein a young mother decides to get involved in her children's education and volunteers at a reading program. This desire to be a part of the community gets her involved in a large group of busybodies in her tenement building that, through LINE chat, have created a community devoid of any formalities or niceties expected of the outsider invited into the group–the internal monologue of the horrors of a misused emoji will speak volumes to those who felt the peculiar anxiety of navigating awkward conversations online.
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The story, starting with simple transgressions against good tastes, evolves into harassment and shucking any idea of decency to feed the group's self-obsession with being involved in all aspects of the lives of those in the school and tenement. Moreover, as the scenario's absurdity builds, the final reveal is a brilliant turn that should put ‘Neighbors' into a short list of the best short horror committed to the page.
However, the complete narrative of “Yami-Hara” is woven throughout each story, sometimes subtly, and the strength of one segment does translate into the entire experience. The first two parts set the groundwork, with the first introducing Kaname (who does not appear again until the final chapter), and the second entry establishes how the evil entities function and use deception to weed their way into the lives of others. Consequently, while still engaging, the last three chapters lose that sense of mysticism the first two conjure up as the twist becomes predictable. The final chapter, in particular, falls short of capturing the same sense of dread in the opening segments despite escalating the action and severity of confrontations.
Still, “Yami-Hara” is an exceptional work of horror and dark fantasy, and ‘Neighbors' as a singular experience is one of the most remarkable and unnerving short horror stories ever conjured–it is hard not to feel a degree of disappointment following such a high-point early on. From front to back, the book deserves to be experienced, and there are a lot of highlights and strong characters that could be discussed in great detail but are best left as a mystery for the reader to uncover.
Ultimately, fans of short horror fiction will find much to admire in “Yami-hara,”, particularly those who love horror crafted from familiar places that can turn mundane events into abject terror. Yen Press has released the title in e-book format for those who prefer it, though the physical hardcover release with dust sleeve is ideal for those who like sharp books adorning the shelves.
