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sspaghettiboness 's review for:

Zoo by Otsuichi
4.25
dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

If you’ve enjoyed GOTH by Otsuichi, I will say that this book comes up a little short in comparison, but overall was still a great read. 

The pacing and spread of the different short stories keeps it entertaining and easy to read. I also found that his portrayal of women in this book had a lot more depth than others by him that I’ve read. The prose was also, of course, gorgeous, gross, and I think would be very inspiring for other horror writers or those aspiring to it. 

Overall, I found this book focused more on developing interesting stories as a whole, but still had the blinding plot twists I’ve come to enjoy from Otsuichi. The horror he portrayed in this book had a distinctly more human element, though generally unrealistic, seemed to stem from the real psyche (with his well thought demented twists), and I found myself reflecting on the meaning behind each chapter in a way that was enjoyable and gruesome. 

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