Our book group choice for March 2024 is Strangers by Taichi Yamada. Hideo Harada exists in a quiet, unremarkable world. A television writer creeping towards middle age in 1980s Japan, Hideo’s life is steeped in routine and subtle loneliness.
His marriage, once a vibrant connection, has dulled into the mundane pragmatism of shared living. An occasional drink with colleagues punctuates his otherwise work-focused existence.
This fragile equilibrium shatters when he attends a local theater production in a rural town outside Kyoto. Transfixed, Hideo sees his long-deceased father sitting among the audience. The unsettling apparition looks exactly as Hideo remembers him, the specter of the father he lost decades ago.
Shaken, Hideo seeks answers, hoping to convince himself it was merely grief-fueled imagination. His investigation leads him on a bewildering journey, plunging him into a world where the line between life and death blurs ominously. Soon, Hideo encounters a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to his late mother – alive, and at the age she would be if she hadn’t passed away years before.
Hideo’s initial disbelief gives way to a horrifying awareness. The world he knew is fraying, and ghostly figures from his past begin to emerge, resurrected with disturbing accuracy. Each encounter drags him deeper into an unsettling realm of grief and confusion. His quiet life becomes a haunted landscape as he grapples desperately with the impossible.
Discussion Questions
- How believable do you think the story was? Was this a ghost story?
- Do you think Harada’s life and loneliness distracted the reader from that of Kei’s?
- Do you think Mamiya saw Harada was in trouble mentally and not just physically?
- The novel leaves the identity of the narrator intentionally vague. How does this ambiguity affect your understanding of the motivations behind the actions in the story? Does it change how you interpret the ending?
- To what extent do you sympathise with the narrator? Does the narrator have any redeeming qualities, or do their actions make them irredeemable?
- Loneliness is a central theme in the book. How does the narrator’s isolation influence their perception of the world and their relationships with others?
- The novel subtly explores social class divisions. In what ways are these divisions present in the story, and how do they affect the characters’ actions and worldviews?
- The act of watching is a recurring theme. Is this voyeurism simply a personal quirk of the narrator or does it reflect a broader societal issue?
- Yamada uses simple, everyday language. How does this stylistic choice enhance the impact of the narrative? Do you find it makes the book more sinister or more detached and clinical?
- The narrator’s perception of reality might be distorted. Can we fully trust their version of events? How does this unreliability impact your reading experience?
- Who or what do you think the ‘strangers’ represent? Are they a real threat, a metaphor for the narrator’s anxieties, or something else entirely?
- The novel is set in an unnamed city. How does the lack of a specific setting contribute to the atmosphere of the novel?
- The novel’s ambiguous conclusion is open to multiple interpretations. What are your theories about the ending? What does it indicate about the narrator’s future?
Individual Ratings
Kelby's Rating 
Jo's Rating
Hayley's Rating
DKB's Rating