Book Review: Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Horror films and classic horror books are always at the top of my enjoyment lists. I love those late 1800’s horror stories written by the great authors. A wise and astute fellow Medium acquaintance recommended that I step out of my very comfortable zone and try a manga book written by one of the great contemporary artists working in the horror genre, Junji Ito. First, I had no clue what manga was and when the words graphic novel entered the conversation, I started to resist. I'm glad that I gave in to trying new things, because I was very impressed with the creepy grossness of this 600 plus page book.
I am not into spoiling the journey for any reader wanting to take a very enjoyable literary trip into the style of Junji Ito, but you can read the dust cover. Set in a small seaside town in Japan, a high school age boyfriend and girlfriend try to survive when a centuries old spiral force awakens and creates havoc and death. It did take some getting used to how to physically read the book. Starting at what Western civilization would consider the “back” of the book, you progress page by page towards the traditional Western “front”. Even the pages take practice (it took me two or three chapters to get into the flow). You read from right to left, and the top row, then middle row and finally the bottom row. Crazy to us old-school book worms!
The plot keeps taking the reader further and further into darker evil and pain through a continuing downward spiral, both physically and emotionally. The various types of abnormalities that are depicted are extremely creative and, honestly, quite gross. Hungry? How about if you eat a fellow human being that has been transformed into a huge slimy snail? You can super-size your escargot! The best part of the book were the illustrations. Seriously, if this book were to be made into a film, these physical abnormalities would totally gross the audience out. Each chapter presents a different physical and emotional battle to the characters, who have to push through their own grief to try and survive. Blood thirsty pregnant mothers, the body count piling up, and that Chapter 13 thorny skin disease — that's the one that creeped me out.
Highly recommended if you are not queasy about the horror genre and an excellent horror book.
