Review - Ring

Ring
Author: Koji Suzuki
1991 (trans. 2004)

Translated after the success of the American remake of the Japanese film based on his novel Koji Suzuki's Ring is the start of it all. Although the films, especially the Japanese film, share much with the novel there are several key differences and a difference in tone that in many ways radically alters the way in which the book is perceived.

The narrative, like the films, deals with a reporter attempting to unravel the puzzle of a VHS tape that pronounces that you will die in seven days after watching it. Unlike both film adaptations there is no spooky phone call and the film actually has a charm that explains how to live but the charm has been erased by the teenagers first killed by the video. Although several plot points remain the same between the films and the book there is significant differences in some places so fans of the films will still find much to interest them in the novel.

The writing is a bit odd in style and tone though it is difficult to say whether that is because of the different culture producing the novel or because of the translation. Point of view changes from one character to another quickly and does not follow breakdowns which readers may expect. The novel does build significant suspense, but only towards the final moments, since it spends much time delving into the characters currently embroiled in their final week and in the past of Sadako, called Samara in the American film remake, who they find created the video. The problem for many, and for this reviewer, is that the mysterious and supernatural tone of both the Japanese film and the American remake are quickly dropped for a quasi-scientific-fictional interpretation of the video. Here the evil of the tape is not necessarily unknown supernatural forces at work, but rather a strange mating of psychic abilities and an actual virus. Although there are hints at a darker supernatural mystery, the book deals mainly in scientific reasoning. For many, part of the uniqueness and attraction of the films is that the evil of Sadako/Samara is an unknown that consumes those who partake in it, but in the book the concept is treated wholly different in tone. Finally, it must be mentioned that the scene made most famous by the films, which is present in both the Japanese film and the American remake, in which Sadako/Samara comes out of the television to kill her victims is not present in the book and that the manner of death is quite different.

Overall the book will be enjoyable to fans of the films and can be appreciated on its own merits also. There are strong moments and interesting characters, but for many the missing style and tone of the films will detract from the novel.

Verdict: 3 1/2 stars out of 5.