Ogawa’s prose is . The first‑person narration makes Aya’s psychopathy feel almost normal at first. There are no exclamation marks, no melodramatic outbursts. The horror creeps in through what Aya doesn’t say – and through her matter‑of‑fact descriptions of cruel acts.
📖 The Diving Pool - Yoko Ogawa.
Strengths
Ogawa is a master of the "uncanny." She does not invent monsters; she finds them in ordinary settings—an orphanage, a family home, a clean apartment. The horror comes from the realization that evil acts (poisoning, psychological torment) are committed by seemingly normal people, often with a chilling lack of guilt. The Diving Pool Yoko Ogawa.pdf 1