I first came to hear of Lafcadio Hearn during my visit at the “Fantasmi e Spiriti del Giappone” exhibition, as the tales depicted in Benjamin Lacombe's book are inspired by Hearn’s stories. Today, I will be sharing my impressions of Hearn's book In Ghostly Japan.
*I have received a free ebook copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, please note that this doesn’t affect my opinion of the book, nor my personal thoughts.
![In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn - Book Info In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn - Book Info](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0y5qcUOcwEhb3eZQbwH-vi4uuqa2s3G2nwFMNTP24m582NTS46XKkvq4NnM0VgkenLDXZcsT3wiA6DgHB1K5BMN9rP8OUWSaN6weFflGdkdvWpyBCZzUN1j7TsCG0ZHwvWSJ7I-UHvVja00VblsAtGiCDopfYH9K7TcqFZor0Bh0vVMyodv0xj9HBN7W/s16000/LIABOM_In%20Ghostly%20Japan%20by%20Lafcadio%20Hearn_info.jpg)
In Ghostly Japan is a collection of fourteen stories about the spirits of the dead, and the spirits of the living, offering a captivating—yet ghoulish—window into Japan's supernatural and spiritual world.
I’ve been really eager to read any of his works since then, however, I did not enjoy In Ghostly Japan as much as I thought I would. Personally, I thought the book was more heavily inclined to the spiritual—rather than the supernatural—which I suppose it’s why I had a difficult time getting through some of the stories. I also unfortunately had to skip a couple because I just couldn’t connect with what I was reading at all. A shame, really.
However, some of the stories were really frightening, and I did enjoy them quite a bit. Furisodé, for example, tells the tale of a haunted kimono (and it reminded me a lot of a Japanese horror film with a very similar story, except it was about a doll), and it was quite eerie. A Passional Karma was indeed petrifying, and Ingwa-Banashi was purely spine-chilling.
Even though I had a tough time with some of the more spiritual stories, I’m glad I was given the opportunity to read In Ghostly Japan.
Have you read this book or plan to read it? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you have a favourite story among them.
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