SLICE OF LIFE
Territory of Light by Yūko Tsushima
Territory of Light is a sparsely written novel divided into twelve chapters, each one capturing a specific moment or period of its unnamed narrator’s life. Our narrator, the mother to a three-year-old, has recently moved into a new apartment as her husband, the father of her daughter, left her for another woman. Territory of Light […]
MoreMoshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto
There is something idiosyncratic about Yoshimoto’s novels. Every time I read something of hers I feel almost comforted by how familiar it all is. Her narrators sound very much like the same person: they are young women prone to navel-gazing yet attuned to their environment (especially nature or their hometown). Moshi Moshi follows Yoshie after […]
MoreThe Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami
Considering that Hiromi Kawakami is one of my favourites authors this was a big letdown. The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino lacked the zing that made Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop into such fun and engaging reads. Nishino, the novel’s central character, is a boring creep and I could not for […]
MoreLonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura
“The only place she could now go to freely from her bedroom was the castle. If I’m in the castle, she started to think, then I’ll be safe. Only the castle beyond the mirror could offer her complete protection.” Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a heartfelt slice of life novel with a magical twist. […]
MoreSweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
“It’s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind.” Durian Sukegawa’s Sweet Bean Paste is a gentle and life-affirming novel […]
MoreThere’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
Comparing this novel to the work of Ottessa Moshfegh or Sayaka Murata seems somewhat misleading, if a bit lazy.There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job has elements that may bring to mind certain aspects of Convenience Store Woman but it has almost nothing in common with My Year of Rest and Relaxation. Still, I […]
MoreLife Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson — book review
Life Among the Savages is a collection of comic essays by Shirley Jackson originally published in women’s magazines. Rather than a memoir Life Among the Savages reads as a series of episodes focusing on Jackson’s chaotic family life: children squabbling, disagreements with other parents, daily chores, and family dinners. Jackson renders the cacophony of her […]
MoreRedhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler — book review
“You have to wonder what goes through the mind of such a man. Such a narrow and limited man; so closed off.” Redhead by the Side of the Road is a slender but tender novel. In her deceptively spare style Anne Tyler relates a quotidian tale about a rather ‘finicky’ man. Micah Mortimer, who is […]
MoreNothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson — book review
My rating: ★★★★✰ 4.5 stars “I had the children. They caught on fire. I had to keep them from catching on fire.” As soon as I read Kevin Wilson’s dedication (“for Ann Patchett”) I had a feeling that I was in for a treat (and I was right). There was something about Wilson’s surrealism that […]
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