Strange Houses : A Novel

Summary: A Paperback Original—Also Available as a Simultaneous Hardcover EditionFrom the author of Strange Pictures and a bestselling mystery-horror phenomenon in Japan —mysterious spaces, trap doors, windowless children's rooms . . . something is wrong with this house. Can you solve the "mystery" of its floor plan? A writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance who is considering purchasing a second-hand house in Tokyo. With its bright and spacious interior, the home seems perfect. But looking closer, the building’s floor plan reveals a mysterious "dead space” hidden between the walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plan with an architect friend only to discover more “strange spaces” dotted across the house.What are these mysterious “strange spaces” and why do they exist—are they really there, or is there something off with the floor plan? Who is the home’s former resident who suddenly disappeared?The freelance writer and his architect friend can’t resist the challenge of solving the riddle of these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all.Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion A JAPANESE PHENOMENON: Uketsu’s previous novel, Strange Pictures, has sold over 1.1 million copies in its native Japan and Uketsu, a popular influencer, enjoys a following of over 2 million across platforms. Strange Houses will be published by HarperVia in Summer 2025, following the publication of Strange Pictures in Winter. A UNIQUE TAKE ON HORROR: Strange Houses, like Strange Pictures, brilliant displays Uketsu’s totally original brand of horror. In this book he blends psychological thriller, investigative reporting, true crime, and architecture to construct a delightful mixed media puzzle similar yet different from the puzzle in his first novel. Through its alluring premise —centered around sinister floor plans and houses— Uketsu involves readers in an unsettling investigation, gathering clues alongside the characters to unravel the mystery piece by piece.FEARFUL SYMMETRY: Strange Houses is uniquely structured around architectural floor plans that disturbingly map out eerie crawlspaces and hidden passages behind the walls of our (supposedly) safe homes. Reframing the comfortable spaces of residential life and domesticity as fronts for horrific crimes and incubators of evil, Ukestu manages to once again cast a spell of uneasy and addictive dread guaranteed to haunt readers of all ages. QUOTIDIAN HORROR: Uketsu has a knack for taking a simple and effective conceit and imbuing it with slow-burning, sinister dread. Through Uketsu’s eyes, the very comfort and safety we seek within the confines of our own homes —takes on a terrifying significance.AN EXTRAORDINARY BLEND OF THE VISUAL AND THE CEREBRAL: Like the iconic covers of the Goosebumps series, or the illustrations of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Uketsu’s work marries visual imagery and storytelling to conjure an uneasy and childlike dread guaranteed to haunt readers no matter their age and bridges cozy Japanese fiction and horror. Where Strange Pictures mined childlike drawings, Strange Houses is structured around the sterile, geometric, angles of the lines on floor plans. But here the walls that would ordinarily mark the boundary of each room instead betray our confidence, conforming to an altogether ulterior design, a shadow house, coextensive, feeding off our own.SIMULTANEOUS HARDCOVER EDITION: HarperVia will simultaneously publish a hardcover edition of Strange Houses (9780063468085).Author Bio: Credit: Author Image 5263 Uketsu is an enigmatic presence on YouTube and an author specializing in horror and mystery. He always appears in videos wearing a white mask and black body stocking, with his voice digitally distorted. His true identity is unknown. Both his novels Strange Pictures and Strange Houses (forthcoming from HarperVia ) were massive hits in Japan, where he lives.