Taichi Yamada's Strangers

I actually don't know what to make of this. The synopsis explicitly states it as an "eerie ghost story...quickly paced, intelligent and haunting..." Well, I would give my nod on all counts except the first. Perhaps because, to an Asian Chinese reader, the ghostly encounters would be reminiscent of Liaozhai. Though, I shared the same fate with David Mitchell, as it "completely wrong-footed me" - only worse. In my own words, I was utterly, completely duped. Damn, I am no doubt still smarting from my wounded ego.

I guess it was the book cover that caught my attention, which is definitely not a first, and I suspect not my last. I got to learn to trust my instinct more.

Yes, definitely a breezy read this is, especially the second half of the novel. I read it everywhere: on the train, on the bus, while walking, in the library, while waiting for my meal at the hawker centre; even in a taxi late for work. Need I say more?

Yes, definitely intelligent - er, make that very intelligent. You may consult my ego if you have further doubts about this. Just be cautious, it may just bite out of spite.

Yes, definitely haunting. I will remember it for leading me to think one way, then going another. Definitely haunting...

But no, no way am I going to be a spoilsport and go spill the beans like always. Well, maybe just a little. The plot revolved around a newly divorced TV scriptwriter living in a building next to a busy highway, which is empty during the night, except for a beautiful lady who comes running to him one lonely evening. As the novel progressed, love blossoms between them. Complication arises when the scriptwriter's dead parents return to haunt him, seemingly sucking his virility to reduce him to bone and skin. Will our protagonist be saved? Will our heroine end up victorious against the evil spirits?

Someone, please shoot me!

PS: Say, I must have mentioned somewhere before about my obsessive reviewing, editing and re-editing. Other than replacing the "died" as in "died parents", the use of "breezy" baffles me no end. Longman states that "a breezy person is happy, confident, and relaxed". Question: can it be used to describe a read? Any takers?