Review: Strange Pictures
- tatedecaro
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 9
3/5 stars
Strange Pictures, by Uketsu (2022)
Translated by Jim Rion
This is an unconventional little murder mystery that has the feel of a graphic novel with a lot of words, or a logic puzzle with a lot of pictures. The Japanese author, Uketsu, is most known for his bestselling manga books, and for his signature white mask, which he hides behind at all times in public (no one knows his real identity).
The story is told in three parts -
1. A mysterious blogger writes about his pregnant wife, who draws seemingly bland but sweet pictures of herself and her soon-to-be child, which turn out to contain foreboding messages.
2. A young girl meets with a child psychologist to discuss her drawing of her home, which hides a disturbing clue.
3. A high school art teacher is found dead at the top of a mountain with a sketch in his pocket that may provide the information needed to solve the crime.
As the stories unfold, they become increasingly intertwined, and the reader is invited to piece together the clues as they become available. I think the point is that if you have the right detective mindset you should be able to solve it on your own with all the clues presented... I'll be honest, I don't feel like that's realistic. Some of the conclusions are made by making some pretty nonsensical leaps. I think the story is better read as an observer.
The use of pictures is cool, and helps guide the story. I saw that this does exist as an audio book but honestly it wouldn't make any sense if you only listened and didn't have access to the drawings. I definitely get the impression that this book is written for a reader who likes graphic novels/manga, and is looking to transition into more of the written word. Since that's not me, I don't think the book totally hit the mark for me... But I did really enjoy the idea and the cleverness of the mystery, and the conclusion is satisfying (even if I didn't totally buy how we arrived there).
Thank you to my nibling Max for the recommendation!
UP NEXT: Make It Scream, Make It Burn, by Leslie Jamison
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