Strange Houses

Discuss the author’s approach to plot development. How does Uketsu use the tension of what the reader knows (and doesn’t know) to facilitate narrative momentum? For instance, consider the fact that the external conflict is already technically resolved by the time the novel begins.

Consider the novel’s thesis regarding the tension between family tradition and individualism. Does the novel advocate for an entirely individualistic way of life, breaking away from the family-centered perspectives that are common in many Asian societies? How so?

Discuss the novel’s use of documents (i.e., transcripts, diagrams, historical timelines). How do they contribute to the work’s verisimilitude, and what is that verisimilitude intended to achieve?

How does Uketsu navigate the tension between curiosity and willpower? Does the novel suggest he has a moral responsibility to continue investigating the mystery?

Comment on the way the novel frames the topic of human morality. Does Uketsu believe that human nature is fundamentally evil? Cite evidence from the novel to explain your answer.

Explore the novel’s critique of religion. How does the novel connect the concept of divinely ordained prosperity to cycles of greed and exploitation?

Compare Strange Houses to the Western Gothic tradition. Where does Uketsu’s approach to the domestic sphere as a menacing space differ from the approaches of authors like Shirley Jackson or Henry James?

Outside of its implications for Uketsu’s character arc, what does the novel’s cliffhanger ending accomplish? How does it change your reading of the novel as a whole?