Of the 14 stories in this small selection, I liked just over half, but even fewer were genuinely enjoyable. The fault partially lies in the translation, which sounds way too modern and Western, stripping the character of these stories. The other portion of the fault, I find, lies in the act of reading itself: these are very much like folk stories, which by nature are meant to be told. I feel I’d have enjoyed them more had I listened to them individually, interspersed, and even better if within the right atmosphere.

I also can’t help but feel I’m missing necessary historical and literary context to be able to appreciate what these stories are. For me they were a bit too short and rushed to really drive anything home, be it strangeness or shock.