I find that some of Jokichi Hikage’s books feel like a blend of literary fiction and mystery, but 孤独の罠 leans more on the side of literary fiction. The story is mainly focused on our protagonist, Shinobu Oogi, and while it starts with an unsettling mystery, it is not central to the book, and the complex..
Book review: 『蹴りたい背中』 by Risa Wataya
This is Risa Wataya's second and best known novel who won her the Akutagawa Prize at the age of 19. My previous experience with Risa Wataya's books has not been exciting. I read 『勝手にふるえてろ』in translation but remember not being impressed by it. More recently, I read 『私をくいとめて』 in Japanese and, similarly, did not find it very..
Book review: 『JR上野駅公園口』 by Miri Yu
『JR上野駅公園口』 has been widely praised since the English translation came out. I did not enjoy reading this book however, I tried to explain why in this review.
Book review: 『錦繡』by Teru Miyamoto
First published in 1982, 『錦繡』is certainly one of Teru Miyamoto's most popular novels. It was translated into English by Roger K. Thomas under the title Kinshu: Autumn Brocade, and into French, Le Brocart, by Maria Grey. Review 『錦繡』 is an epistolary novel (only composed of letters). Aki and Yasuaki were once a married couple. They..
Book review: 『私をくいとめて』by Risa Wataya
In this novel, we follow the daily life of Mitsuko, a single woman in her early thirties.
Book review: 『草花たちの静かな誓い』by Teru Miyamoto
An engrossing story about family secrets set in Palos Verdes, California.
Book Review: 『ボクたちはみんな大人になれなかった』by Moegara
Even twenty years of time cannot erase some names from our memory. In 『ボクたちはみんな大人になれなっかた』, seeing one name appearing on Facebook brings back the past, scene by scene. As the narrator let the memories come back, he gives a personal picture of the ’90s.
Book Review: 『コンビニ人間』by Sayaka Murata
"人間はさー、仕事か、家族か、どちらかで社会に所属するのが義務なんだよ。" (p66) In a society that constantly throws this kind of reminder to your face, how are you supposed to find your place when, at 36, you have neither one nor the other? Through the story of its protagonist Keiko FURUKURA,『コンビニ人間』describes the struggles of those who are "not normal" and won't fit in the society..