Otsuichi is a master of J-Horror literature. I would never stop recommending reading his novels. 10/10

What I liked most about this story was that it was through a child's point of view. The comparative "The Lovely Bones" was through the point of a teenager and raged with all the emotions a young adult would feel toward events. Otsuichi managed instead to tell a story and captivate an audience without such passion.

Satsuki is nine years old when she is, as we are led to believe, murdered by her best friend out of jealousy over a crush on her brother. Never once do we see anger or despair in the emotions of our narrator, just simple observation. Is it inspiring or terrifying to see that children can easily accept things that so often are impossible for adults? It's almost cold the way she describes herself as everyone moves her body around. They was she mentions how her eyes and mouth are still open, that dust falls onto them. Clinical observations with a hint of sorrow.

I quite enjoyed the way Yakoi and Ken felt no real empathy or guilt toward what they were doing, because it is often overlooked; just as children can be truly kind, they can be truly cruel as well. It is the tip of the knife which way things can turn.

The ending itself was a real surprise, and I'm not sure I enjoyed it because, ultimately, there was no lesson learned. But maybe it's just another harsh reality of what life is: not as full of consequences as we desire.

"Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse" was the first published work by Japanese horror writer Otsuichi. Written in 1996, while the author was still in high school, this novella shows the aftermath of the murder of a young girl, told from the point of view of her corpse. It's an odd story, and although quite interesting, it's awkwardly told and almost entirely without emotion. It's hard to say whether that was the fault of the author or the translator, but given that Nathan Collins translated Black Fairy Tale also, which I found both delightful and horrifying, I'm inclined to chalk this one up to Otsuichi's youthful writing at the time.

In this edition, the title novella is paired with the short story “Yuko”, about a young woman who takes a job as the housekeeper of a reclusive elderly couple. Over time, she comes to believe that the husband is insane. This is an excellent short story, though a bit wordy toward the end, but well worth the read.

My second Otsuichi book, the first being Black Fairy Tale. While I like Black Fairy Tale better, since you know, fairy tales and its connection to stories, Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse was an equally weird and creepy short novel.

IIn Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse, the protagonist Satsuki (incidentally, it's another way of saying "May", which may or may not have a deeper meaning) is killed by her best friend Yayoi. Did I mention that the girls are only... I think nine? They're seriously young kids. Anyway, kids being kids, Yayoi freaks out, and her older brother (only two years older) decides that the solution is to hide Satsuki's corpse. What follows are the kids moving a dead body around, and lots of close calls.

The end of the tale though, I totally did not expect, and seriously creepy stuff. I do wonder what would happen to Ken, Yayoi's brother if the story continued.

The second tale, Yuko, was much shorter but no less weird. The story follows Kiyone, a maid at a big house who begins to suspect that her master's wife, Yuko, isn't really alive. To be honest, my suspicions and Kiyone's matched up, but at the end, I was left very confused as to who was telling the truth and who was deluded about everything. It really can be read both ways.

Both stories combined still make for a short read, and I finished it in under an hour. I recommend it if you're looking for something different and creepy to read.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.