The Empty House

Name: The Empty House
ISBN: 9787532178704

横山秀夫 / 曹逸冰Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.2

Word count: 174K words
Chapters: 57
ISBN: 9787532178704

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Summary

On a hillside in the mountains stands an oddly designed villa. The owner's whole family has vanished, leaving behind only footprints on the ground and an old chair. Why would someone spend a fortune on a house, await it with such anticipation, and then disappear without spending a single day in it after taking possession? Troubled by a vague sense of unease and anger, the villa's designer, Aose, sets out to find them with no clues to go on. Yet as his investigation deepens, new questions pile up far faster than answers—and they begin to point toward a past he would rather forget...

Editor's review

Hideo Yokoyama enters the mystery of "the owner's whole family vanished" through the eyes of Aose, a villa designer. The narrative drive comes not from the pleasures of detective-style deduction but from an ordinary professional's stubborn pursuit of an anomalous event. The novel deftly links architectural design with human psychology: a house into which someone poured a fortune yet never moved is itself a giant question mark, and the deeper Aose digs, the more he is drawn toward a past he does not wish to touch. Beneath the suspenseful surface lies a core about memory, responsibility, and self-examination. The author excels at planting unease in everyday details, and the pacing is restrained yet tightens layer by layer—well suited to sustained reading in quiet hours, letting the doubts accumulate naturally. For readers who prefer the social-school approach and character-driven inner drama over bloody spectacle, this work offers ample room for afterthought.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Mystery readers who enjoy social-school suspense and character psychology
Literary readers interested in architecture, dwelling, and family relationships
Readers seeking a Japanese novel with restrained pacing and steadily accumulating suspense
Anyone wanting an immersive reading experience for the commute or before sleep

Not a good fit for

Fans of fast-paced honkaku mystery with strong twists and dense cases
Thriller readers expecting bloody crime scenes or action elements
Readers who want a clear detective puzzle with fair-play clues

Reading tips

Read as continuously as possible and watch for early details about the house and the footprints
Read Aose's investigation alongside his personal memories to feel how the two threads echo each other
When doubts multiply, don't rush to find answers—move forward with the character's unease
After finishing, look back at the opening description of the disappearance scene; it will take on new meaning

About the publisher

Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1952

Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House takes modern and contemporary Chinese literature and folk literature as important publishing directions, while also covering social novels, classic works, and prose and miscellaneous writings, and has long introduced foreign literature and philosophical works. Its books include masterpieces such as Lao She's Teahouse and Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, and Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River, as well as translations such as Gilles Deleuze's Nietzsche and Philosophy, Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, and The Pillars of the Earth trilogy. Its authors include Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, Zhou Ying, Liu Yuyu, and Jiang Yi, reflecting a publishing character that balances original literature, academic translation, and general reading.

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FAQ

Is this a typical honkaku mystery?

No. It is closer to social-school suspense, focusing not on locked-room tricks or fair-play clues but on character motives, psychological shifts, and the social dimensions behind the event. Following designer Aose's investigation, readers are mostly feeling the accumulation of doubts and the wavering of the protagonist's inner world rather than solving a logic puzzle.

I haven't read any other Hideo Yokoyama books. Can I start with this one?

Yes. This is a standalone story that does not depend on earlier works. Its pacing is on the restrained side, with the early sections devoted to setup and character portrayal. If you are used to fast-paced suspense, give yourself a little extra patience; once the threads of doubt interweave in the middle and later sections, the immersion becomes stronger.

Does the title "The Empty House" have a special meaning?

The empty house refers both to the villa that no one inhabited after handover and, symbolically, to the parts of the characters' inner lives that have been set aside and left unconfronted. As the investigation proceeds, the house echoes Aose's past; readers can watch for the contrast between "empty" and "filled" and appreciate the care the author put into the title.

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About the author

横山秀夫 Author

Hideo Yokoyama is a notably representative author in the field of Japanese mystery and suspense fiction. Public information about him is currently limited, and details of his education, life experience and awards are not fully known; nevertheless, through solid storytelling and a sustained attention to human nature and social issues, he has built a steady reputation among Chinese-language readers. Three of his works are included in the collection: The Countdown to the Statute of Limitations, The Robin Plan and The Empty House. These works mostly focus on case investigations, manhunts and choices made under time pressure, and they often depict the psychological tension of police officers, suspects and those around them with tight pacing and a calm touch. Yokoyama is skilled at using the mystery framework to present the clash between institutions and human nature, and his plots unfold in a restrained yet forceful way. His works are therefore often categorized as suspense and mystery fiction and attract readers who favor the social-school style.

曹逸冰 Author

Cao Yibing is a Chinese author with a notably wide range of subjects; the library holds 45 of her works. Judging from the available titles, her writing and editorial work span several fields. On one hand, she engages with Japanese folk craft and craft culture, contributing to works such as The Beauty of Japanese Folk Craft: The Collected Works of Yanagi Soetsu (4 volumes), Forty Years of Folk Craft, and Craft Culture. On the other hand, she touches on travel and food writing, as seen in A Tree of Travel and the Vegetable Classroom series. She also ventures into mystery and detective fiction, such as the Countdown to the Statute of Limitations, along with essay collections and foreign literature like The Language of Magic. Her works commonly fall under culture, travel, food, mystery and detective fiction, essays, and foreign literature, reflecting a cross-disciplinary curiosity and editorial perspective. Public information about her nationality, dates, education, and personal background is limited; the above is based only on the library's holdings.