A year after the death of their son, Dan and Kelly are visiting Aokigahara, the infamous Japanese forest. Dan knows of its past as the place where souls come to die, to commit suicide either through hopelessness, debt, or love. Kelly does not, but all that changes when the forest’s ghosts begin to reveal themselves.
Dark bleatings and welcome to Novella November here on Happy Goat Horror! Last year, this entire month was dedicated to novellas and we enjoyed reading them so much that we’ve decided to make it an annual event. Who better to kick off 2023’s Novella November than Adam Millard?
I’ve read a few Millard books – funny ones – so I was surprised (but not unpleasantly so) to discover that this story isn’t funny. Millard’s sense of humour does still shine through his characters, particularly Dan, but it’s not embedded in the narrative the way I’m used to with him. I quickly realised that I would need to brace myself, because the subject matter of this story is as dark as its real-world setting. For those not in the know, Aokigahara is a very real place with an unbelievably sad and grim reputation.
The pacing is perfect for a book just shy of 100 pages, and somehow even within such limited time constraints, Millard packs so much in. As usual, his characters feel authentic and real, as does their relationship. What I really enjoyed was how masterfully he invokes the principle of “show, don’t tell”. The details of Dan and Kelly’s relationship are fed to the reader in the most delicious, organic ways, as is their history together.
The only reason that this isn’t a perfect read for me is because I predicted the ending – but then again, I’m one of those annoying people who scrutinises texts in search of clues to their endings. Overall, I think this is a great read and a fast but complete story that’s very enjoyable. Well, actually, is “enjoyable” the word I want here? I don’t know what it says about me that I’d find a story like this enjoyable, but them are the facts!
I’d recommend this to horror fans who enjoy fast-paced, supernatural horror, particularly those who love to get immersed in great locations. If you’d like to check out the author, or get yourself a copy, there are some links below for you:
Happy Goat Horror 
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