“Soichi”

“This one is a divisive one, but for me, it’s a 5-er.

Soichi is like…like a manga Addams Family, except Soichi is the only person in his family who is unusual.

It was just so odd and silly in some places that I loved it. And for me, the creepiness and the silliness really worked together.

Probably had additional appeal for me because, unlike some Ito short story collections, it follows the same characters, so you get to skip learning the characters and setting each time and get to the good stuff: a creepy-ass kid spitting nails at people.

What can I say? The tone isn’t for everyone, but I’m a guy who wrote a book where someone has to eat a piece of shit, mostly played for comedy. So I have my tastes, and they’re not ones I share with a lot of folks.”