The author's GRUDGE against women WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS SCENES OF GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND RAPEI know that seems kind of silly for a horror novel but, this book seems to revel in the way it tortures the women in the book as if this was a sick fantasy for the author.The story itself is terrible as, after you get the main story of Kayako, it just keeps repeating that narrative in some form or fashion through out the book with all the characters.Everyone dies save one person, but you expect this, however they all die the same way. Over and over. So basically once you have the story of Kayako, that's it. That's the whole story. Just insert all the new characters into the framework and bam.One top of all this is the misogyny, where once strong women do a 180 and are reduced to simpering piles. Every woman's looks is described over and over and the brand items they carry are name dropped like the author didn't have any idea how women act, dress or view themselves.Really I think the author has a Grudge against women and it really shows. I know Japanese horror has a thing for vengeful women, but I don't remember the movie being this terrible. ( )

This is one of the better "film adaptation" novels I've read to date, namely because it reads like source material rather than an afterthought.

Oddly enough, the novel is told mostly from Kayako's viewpoint, with vaguely related introductions in most of the chapters (historical facts, international ghost tales, etc). We're given a more personal look into the woman's upbringing, her college obsession with Kobayashi, her introduction to her future husband Takeo and the disintegration of her marriage. The depths of her obsessions are chilling, yet they pale in comparison to those of her husband.

It's really rare to get a grasp of the ghost this deep in an onryou-style story. Highly enjoyable, and possibly a re-read for me at some point soon. ( )