In this slim novel, Kawakami tells the ins and outs of the daily operation of a second-hand shop, and her…
Kitchen – by Banana Yoshimoto
This book contains two novellas, Kitchen and Moonlight Shadow. The two protagonists are both female college students suffering from the…
Beauty and Sadness – by Yasunari Kawabata
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Kawabata usually chose one aspect of Japanese culture to feature in his novels:…
Snow Country – by Yasunari Kawabata
I found it fascinating that each of Kawabata’s novels covers different Japanese traditions, be it tea ceremony, No mask, mountain…
The Sound of the Mountain – by Yasunari Kawabata
The Sound of the Mountain is a novel set in post war Japan. Shingo Ogata is a 59 year old…
The Life before Us – by Romain Gary
The Life before Us (La Vie devant soi) portrays a heartbreaking parental love story between a sensitive and prematurely wise…
God’s Boat – by Kaori Ekuni
From May 2018 to Apr 2019, the Japan Times ran a very informative and interesting “Works by Japanese Women” series…
The Emissary – by Yoko Tawada
This novella is set in a dystopian Japan in an unknown future. Tokyo is not environmentally safe to live in…
The End of Loneliness – by Benedict Wells
“I’ve known Death a long time, but now Death knows me.” So begins the story of the three Moreau siblings…
The Lover – by Marguerite Duras
“I often think of the image I can see now, and of which I’ve never spoken. It’s always there, in…
