An quick, truly creepy read! The story starts out by showing the reader a simple floorplan of a house and asking them to consider if anything seems strange about it. Indeed, there is much more to the house and its previous inhabitants than meets the eye. Recommended for anyone who likes to try to solve a mystery as they read along.

I never considered looking into floor plans of a house before buying or renting, but I might start doing that after reading this book. The House of Leaves left the first impression on me about the mysteries of a house, how it can pull you into its depths, and house as an entity, but these houses here were man made nightmares meant to create same feeling

I wonder what goes through Uketsu's mind when he was creating these stories because this is some creative way to prove that these houses were murder houses and little kids could be culprits.

Now I want to read the Strange Pictures as well to see what type of mysteries he was hiding in them. Again, Japanese artists are never not delivering mind boggling things.

Loved this. Creepy and unsettling. Short but effective. Just like this review (hopefully). Posting more for character requirements.

Thank you so very much to Uketsu, HarperVia, and NetGalley for providing this eARC for me in exchange for an honest review!

Strange Houses follows a very curious writer that is thouroughly captivated by a mysterious Tokyo-based house that has the STRANGEST floor plan. Instead of brushing off this house as the creation of a new-age architect, our narrator believes that this house has a much more sinister past.

I found this book unique in that there were an abundance of illustrations throughout the story, giving an in-depth look into the set-up of the house. Why are there rooms with no windows? Why is there an extra door, and why is it there? Who lives here, and is there more to the eye? I wish I could say more about the story itself, but saying even a little bit would be too spoilery. You as a reader must read this and figure out the mystery yourself. Overall I believe that while Strange Houses can be classified as a sort-of-horror-novel, Uketsu's work really just leaves the reader with a sense of unease on every page. It is more unnerving than horror.

Immediately after finishing this quirky novel, I began reading another of Uketsu's books that is written in the same style: Strange Pictures.
Although this is Uketsu's second "Strange _____" book, Strange Houses can be enjoyed on its own, as it is a completely separate story from "Strange Pictures". I recommend both of these stories to anyone who is interested in a mystery or even some light horror before bedtime.

This story is just on the edge of plausible and written in such a factual manner that it doesn't seem crazy for the situation described in this book could be real. Each examination of each new house and each discovery within really freaked me out!

Thank you to NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in advance.

Look. Listen. I don’t know how to tell you how much this book messed with me. And honestly? I loved it. It melted my brain and I felt it coming out of my ears but gd. It was so good.
The book begins with floor plans. At first glance, it seems normal but upon a closer look, something seems… off. The further you get into the book, the more messed up everything gets. The twists! The turns! I had the most horrifyingly good time. It’s also excellent for a very quick read.
4/5 stars

Okay, I literally don't know what this was. It was a pretty quick DNF for me.
I am still really thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access.

This book is like, "Hey--look at this floor plan. Something's odd, right?" AND IT IS ODD. And then you slowly discover more and more and WOW this is a WHOLE situation. A perfect, weird little mystery. It's fabulous. I absolutely loved this book, love this writer--they're an automatic read/recommend for me at this point.

Strange Houses is a story about discovering a dark secret a family has been hiding for generations. There's a murder mystery, weird floor plans and lots of speculation. A columnist ( known as "Author" throughout) has his attention brought to a weird house plan by a friend that is thinking of purchasing the house. The columnist happens to know an architect so he asks his opinion about these house layouts. After a body shows up in the bushes near the home the columnist decides to write an article about it which then attracts a woman who thinks this victim is connected to her murdered husband. The hidden secrets unfold from there.
The story is told in a way where conversations are written like a script and then also paragraphs of the author's internal thoughts. The POV is from a character only referred to as "Author" Then there is maybe 4 or 5 other characters he interacts with and are labeled with their first names. Because of this particular style there isn't much personality attached to the characters but really I'd say Strange Houses is more about the story than the people involved. I felt removed most of the time. I don't read or watch many detective types of stories but all of the jumping to conclusions that was going on was very unbelievable. The character "Author" speaks with an architect about these weird floor plans and this architect just comes up with this elaborate theory out of seemingly no where. It was very clinical and dry. Reminded me of Knives Out, which I didn't particularly like. I'm not sure what this style is called but I don't think I'm a fan. I honestly thought the architect guy was going to be in on the crime based on all his jumps in logic.
Translated books usually give me insight into other cultures I know nothing about, this was no different. I still have a few things I want to research on good old google but the tradition of guests taking baths when they stay at other people's houses was not something I knew.
Overall I was underwhelmed and I just don't think this style of mystery is for me.

Unsettling, smart, and eerily simple, this book pulls you in with strange architecture, creeping tension, and sharp twists told entirely through conversation. What begins as a house hunting visit turns into something far more disturbing, as strange questions arise around the layout, especially the child's room. With a unique format and a creeping sense of dread, it is a quiet horror that stays with you.

A second book in the style of Strange Pictures from Uketsu posits an interesting hypothetical about a house designed specifically to conceal murders. Told through text and illustrations, the reader follows along as the narrator investigates a series of houses with odd designs, eventually stumbling upon horrid family secrets and generational curses.

While the story unravels in a simplistic narrative style, the mystery is intriguing enough, if a bit far-fetched, to keep the reader entertained. The illustrations of the houses add visual interest and a "solve-as-you-read" sensation. Having not read Strange Pictures, I'm unable to compare the two, yet I anticipate that the novelty of the book's construction might be the one true interesting element about this series of standalone concepts. A short and entertaining read.

Strange Houses is a beautifully unsettling blend of literary horror and psychological depth. The story follows a woman confronting her past and the strange pull of a family home that feels both familiar and off. Uketsu’s writing is sparse but powerful, creating an atmosphere that stays with you long after you finish.

The pacing is slow but deliberate, focusing on mood and character. The sense of unease builds steadily, mixing memory, trauma, and hints of the supernatural without relying on cheap scares.

What makes this stand out is how personal the horror feels. It explores loss, isolation, and the emotional spaces we carry inside us. It’s a haunting slow burn that rewards patience and leaves a lasting impression.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.

It starts with the floorplan of a seemingly normal house and an odd sealed space between rooms. An author and an architect consider what purpose their might be for that space and the house's other unusual features, quickly developing dark theories about the family that lived there. This short book is a quick, intriguing read that reminded me of online posts where someone sees something, decides it's "off" and immediately leaps to wild conclusions. I've never read anything quite like it and I'm definitely eager to check out the author's previous book, not to mention their Youtube page.

This was such a fun read! Definitely glad I read the ebook and not did an audio because the photos of the houses layout is so fun to look at! I loved guessing about it.

I really enjoyed Strange Houses. I live translated books. This one had an amazing puzzle that the reader was trying to figure out alongside the main character “Aunthor”

Great illustrations! We’re given a few very strange floorplans for houses. The author and his architect friend try and figure out what the story is. It’s pretty dark, with curses, family trauma and children being made into murderers. Also missing left arms.

I felt like I was trying to decipher the mystery alongside the author, Great read!

What a fun and wacky read! I enjoyed the way this story was told - it made it very difficult to put down as I was so intrigued and needed to figure out the mystery.

Strange Houses by Uketsu (and translated by Jim Rion) was one heck of a wild experience. This is the first Uketsu book I’ve read but I have already ordered Strange Pictures. Now I’m not sure if the writing style is do to Jim Rion’s translation or if Jim merely managed to copy Uketsu’s original style but regardless I enjoyed it and this story sucked me write it. It starts innocently enough, with the author helping a friend who is thinking of buying a house but thought there was something odd about it. Checking out the floor plan he spots several oddities and after consulting with the draftsman friend of his…it kicks off a wild trip down a very twisted rabbit hole. Not sure this will make sense but for a book where the ‘action’ isn’t immediate, much of the story speculation, it manages to be extremely compelling. Definitely looking forward to the next book. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me access to an ARC of Strange Houses.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/strange-houses-uketsu/1146276773?ean=9780063433151&bvnotificationId=c12b51fa-457f-11f0-92c5-0e0d4c8897ab&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/349039940

Strange Houses was a bit of a letdown coming off of reading it's predecessor, Strange Pictures. I thoroughly loved the mystery presented in Strange Pictures and expected a mystery on par with it, just involving architecture. Unfortunately, the story was rather predictable, with the author hand holding the reader through the mystery and in the end spoon feeding us the solution very quickly, at almost the midway point. It left the rest of the book feeling unsatisfying and I was thoroughly disinterested in the drama surrounding the family. Strange Houses certainly isn't the worst book I have read, but it also didn't impress me in a tangible way.

I had high hopes for this book, and it went off the rails pretty quickly. It starts out creepy, a child in a horrible circumstance, maybe. A house built by someone living in a prison, possibly. You ever read "Room"?, a lot of potential for a monster to abuse. And then the story just gets stupid.
Maybe it's cultural, I'm not Japanese and I found the final two thirds of the story aggressively unbelievable. Without spoilers, imagine murdering a stranger because someone told you to... that's it, they just told you to. They don't have a way to enforce it, they just firmly said "You're going to kill Bob" and so you start sharpening your knife. That's not the exact plot, but that's what it feels like. There is no reason for any of the violence that happens... one guy might be crazy and kill someone, but a whole family, with in-laws? Like a wife saying "Hey new husband, my family believes in this thing, we gotta torture a child and kill a dude, ok? Honeymoon's over, we gotta get this done.", I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about this other than confused. Japan has people out here building entire homes, signing up for mortgages because stabbing a guy on the sidewalk is too hard?
I liked the first third quite a bit and the idea of a spooky house is entertaining and I was excited. Now I'm just confused about how many murders happen in Japan because someone told you to.
There's supposed to be a mystery at the end, like we don't actually know who the bad guy is and who knew what, and I just do not care in the slightest. The people we've been following in this story are either monsters or the dumbest people ever. Oh, she was Bob's fifth wife and her kid has weirdly specific birth defect so we're going to commit several family members to torture a kid until we can murder someone that makes sense.
The convolution hurts my feelings.

An entertaining read that I finished in a day. This book was unique in a way I really enjoyed, including the floor plans as part of the mystery. I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley but I had also purchased a paperback copy and found it easier to read the hardcopy towards the end because I had to flip back to keep the large number of characters straight.