The Graveyard Apartment

One of the most popular writers working in Japan today, Mariko Koike is a recognized master of detective fiction and horror writing. Known in particular for her hybrid works that blend these styles with elements of romance, The Graveyard Apartment is arguably Koike's masterpiece. Originally published in Japan in 1986, Koike's novel is the suspenseful tale of a young family that believes it has found the perfect home to grow into, only to realize that the apartment's idyllic setting harbors the specter of evil and that longer they stay, the more trapped they become.

This tale of a young married couple who harbor a dark secret is packed with dread and terror, as they and their daughter move into a brand new apartment building built next to a graveyard. As strange and terrifying occurrences begin to pile up, people in the building start to move out one by one, until the young family is left alone with someone... or something... lurking in the basement. The psychological horror builds moment after moment, scene after scene, culminating with a conclusion that will make you think twice before ever going into a basement again.


About the Author

MARIKO KOIKE was born in Tokyo and is the recipient of a number of literary awards including the Naoki Prize, the Shibata Renzaburo Award, and the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for Literature. She is the author of The Graveyard Apartment.

DEBORAH BOLIVER BOEHM, who translated The Graveyard Apartment, is also the translator of Koike's 2009 release The Cat in the Coffin and of Kenzaburo Oe's The Changeling.