Book Review : Strange Pictures

Uketsu is a prolific Japanese writer of minimalist mystery stories laced with eerie, unsettling elements — the kind that quietly get under your skin before you even realise it. What truly sets him apart is his peculiar narrative style, one that turns the reader into an active participant rather than a passive observer. And if that is not intriguing enough, his face is yet to be revealed to the world. He appears only behind a mask, a deliberate enigma who loves nothing more than presenting mind-boggling puzzles to anyone willing to play along. Mysterious author, mysterious stories.

The book “Strange Pictures ” starts with a lecture by a child psychologist explaining the face-value meaning of a child’s painting. The story moves forward with different scenarios wherein drawing is the main element. A murdered person leaves behind a drawing. Similarly, a mother who died during childbirth leaves behind a series of drawings. The perception behind each drawing keeps the reader hooked to the book.

“Adults can draw what they see, the real thing, in their pictures. Children, though, draw the “idea” of what appears in their heads. Like an artist.”

That one line is essentially the entire soul of this book — and once you finish it, you will want to come back and read it again just to see how much you missed. At first glance, the stories feel almost too quiet, too ordinary. The reader may almost think “so what?” — and then, out of nowhere, WHAM!!!! They are hit right in the face with a twist. This book is just the kind that makes you flip back three chapters with your jaw on the floor.

What Uketsu does brilliantly is make you an active participant — not just a reader watching a plot unfold, but a detective sitting with a drawing, deciding what it means, getting it completely wrong, and loving every second of it. A one-sit read that will keep you second-guessing your own perception long after the last page.

Head to the comment section and let us know if you have read the book. You can also reach me on Facebook or Instagram to share your views.

Cheers to Reading!