Strange Pictures : A Novel

Summary: Paperback Original—Also Available as a Simultaneous Hardcover EditionThe spine-tingling bestseller that has taken Japan by storm—an eerie fresh take on horror for fans of Hidden Pictures and Junji Ito, in which a series of seemingly innocent pictures draws you into a disturbing web of unsolved mysteries and shattered psyches. An exploration of the macabre, where the seemingly mundane takes on a terrifying significance. . . .A pregnant woman's sketches on a seemingly innocuous blog conceal a chilling warning.A child's picture of his home contains a dark secret message.A sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments leads an amateur sleuth down a rabbithole that will reveal a horrifying reality.Structured around nine childlike drawings, each holding a disturbing clue, Uketsu invites readers to piece together the mystery behind each and the over-arching backstory that connects them all. Strange Pictures is the internationally bestselling debut from mystery horror YouTube sensation Uketsu—an enigmatic masked figure who has become one of Japan's most talked about contemporary authors.Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion A JAPANESE PHENOMENON: Strange Pictures has sold over 600,000 copies in its native Japan and Uketsu, a popular influencer, enjoys a following of over 2 million across platforms. A UNIQUE TAKE ON HORROR: Uketsu revitalizes traditional horror, blending psychological thriller, police procedural, the conventions of found footage, and puzzles in his addictive novels. Each interconnected tale invites the reader to begin to piece together a meta-narrative that is ultimately resolved in the final story. THE SENSATIONAL FIRST INSTALLMENT INTRODUCING READERS TO AN INTRIGUING WORLD: Via has also acquired Uketsu’s next novel, Strange Houses, a similarly constructed story organized around floorplans and architectural designs . . . and the evils they conceal.AN EXTRAORDINARY BLEND OF THE VISUAL AND THE CEREBRAL: Strange Pictures is structured around nine childlike sketches that disturbingly hold clues to horrific crimes. Like the iconic covers of the Goosebumps series, or the illustrations of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Ukestu’s work marries visual imagery and storytelling to conjure an uneasy and childlike dread guaranteed to haunt readers no matter their age.NOSTALGIC REVIVAL: Strange Pictures is a reprise of internet age anxiety. Recalling creepy pastas, found footage, and urban myths, it also follows a trend of nostalgic revivals. From Adult Swim’s forthcoming adaptation of Junju Ito’s Uzumaki and the reboots of Twin Peaks and The X-Files to Eric LaRocca and Jane Schoenbrun, this book is perfect for grown up millennials and Gen Zers.A GLOBAL SENSATION: Gently guiding the reader, Strange Pictures bridges cozy Japanese fiction and horror. It was the talk of the London Book Fair, resulting in a highly competitive auction and rights being sold across the world. SIMULTANEOUS HARDCOVER EDITION: HarperVia will simultaneously publish a hardcover edition of Strange Pictures (9780063433090).Quotes:“I loved it! It has the twists and fair-play style of a Golden Age whodunit, mixed with a wonderfully innovative use of illustrations. Delightfully macabre and fiendishly clever. Seemingly unconnected stories tie themselves into a complicated knot, which Uketsu masterfully unravels.” -G. T. Karber, author of the national bestseller Murdle“Dare you say what you see? Not if it’s between the unnerving pages of Strange Pictures by anonymous Japanese enigma Uketsu. . . . This refreshingly original, eerie treat of a puzzle invites the reader to immerse themselves in the darkest of mysteries. So captivating I read it in a day. So disturbing I thought about it all night. Uketsu is a disrupter, the master of quiet horror.” -Janice Hallett, internationally bestselling author of The Appeal“Absolutely loved this clever little banger. An addictive murder mystery that unfolds like pointillism on the page: only when you reach the end, step back and view the bigger picture does each of its parts click into place. Exceptional!'” -Alice Slater, author of Death of a Bookseller Author Bio: Credit: Author Image 1 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.