She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.
And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys and shrines of Aomori, Japan.
Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.
Yes, this book did come out about a year ago, but the second one in the series is coming out next month (and I'll have a review of it up next week), so I thought it would be an opportune time to review this one!
First off, let me start by saying that The Ring and Ringu scared the junk out of me when I first saw them. I don't particular like either movie, but I loved the story and the idea of that scary girl. Then I learned it was based on a real Japanese folk tale and I was kind of hooked. This story takes that tale one step further. Okiku is a revenge spirit, hunting down child murderers and killing them in a fashion that's only okay for horror movie monsters. During one of her hunts, she runs across Tark Halloway, a young boy that appears normal on the outside, except for several strange black tattoos that hold back a dark secret in his life.
I'l be honest: I didn't know that this story was based on the same legend as those movies, so when I started reading, I thought The Girl from the Well was a straight rip off. Then I decided to be smart and remember that this was a Japanese tale and that there is no ripping off. After that, I enjoyed the junk out of this book. I loved Tark and his cousin Callie, because they were both so different from other YA characters. Tark's mom is in a mental institution after tattooing her son to "keep him safe" and then trying to kill him. Tark, of course bothered by this, is sarcastic and tries to be tough, but he's sweet and such a good kid. Callie does her best to be a guiding light in Tark's life, but it's hard, especially when she learns just what Tark is holding inside his body.
Okiku, of course, is awesome. She's vengeful and ruthless, but you cheer her on as loud as you possibly can because she's going after truly awful people. She sets these sad souls free, letting the murdered children turn into fireflies and go off into the afterlife. She chooses to stay in order to help these souls and to reek her terrible revenge on these gruesome people. Her relationship with Tark becomes something special and other worldly, and it's beautiful. Neither of them look at each other romantically, and it's not some weird, gosh, I wonder how they would make out. No, it's more like two people (well, one person and one ghost thing) watching out for each other.
One of the best parts of the novel involved all the description about Japanese culture and the dolls that are used in the exorcisms. I'm completely ignorant when it comes to this culture, and it was interesting to learn a few things, even if I can't exactly use this information in my day to day life. But reading about the dolls and what they do for the ghosts...it was creepy (because I hate dolls) and informative. Now I feel ready to try my own exorcism. Maybe on my cat, because there must be a fat demon inside her.
I would highly recommend this book and highly recommend you coming back next week when I review the sequel, The Suffering. I'm almost done reading it and, so far, each chapter is more exciting than the next!
Have a good two days off, because I'll definitely be back on Friday. I'll let you know about my new friends, my new acquisition, and plans for the future. Not all of it has to do with writing, but that's coming, too. Slowly but surely. Like the turtle. And now all I have to do is win the race.
First, I have to find a race.
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