Bücher der Reihe Japanese Novellas

A witty, dizzying literary caper about books, travel, and translation -- perfect for fans of David Mitchell and the work of Hideaki Anno This delightfully surreal novella follows the global pursuit of a mysterious writer who somehow writes in dozens of languages. An affluent entrepreneur named A.A. Abrams sinks seemingly infinite resources into the global pursuit of a writer about whom very little is known. Abrams' target, known as "Tomoyuki Tomoyuki," moves from one place to another, producing work in the local language before moving on to another part of the world. But how does Tomoyuki Tomoyuki move from one language to the next with such ease? Agents employed by the Abrams Institute attempt to make sense of the writer's erratic movements and baffling writing habits, but come to find that within each puzzle is yet another puzzle, waiting to be unraveled. One puzzle leads to another in this delightful literary caper.

A surprising and moving novella about a misunderstood neurodivergent girl from one of Japan's most acclaimed young writers, the author of The Woman in the Purple Skirt A sensitive and tender depiction of belonging and neurodivergence, perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and the off-kilter novels of Ottessa Moshfegh Other people don't seem to understand Amiko. Whether eating curry rice with her hands at school or peeking through the sliding doors at her mother's calligraphy class, her curious, exuberant nature mostly meets with confusion. When her mother falls into a depression and her brother begins spending all his time with a motorcycle gang, Amiko is left increasingly alone to navigate a world where she doesn't quite fit. Subtle, tender and moving, This is Amiko shows us life through the eyes of a unique, irrepressible, neurodivergent young character. Praise for The Woman in the Purple Skirt: "[It] will keep you firmly in its grip." -- Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer "The love child of Eugene Ionesco and Patricia Highsmith." -- Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get in Trouble "A taut and compelling depiction of loneliness." -- Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

Tense, subtly disturbing Japanese literary horror perfect for fans of Tender is the Flesh and The Vegetarian An unforgettably creepy child narrator weaves uncanny tales about her new stepmother in this feminist horror novella + short story collection that introduces a unique new voice in Japanese literature A young girl loses her mother, and her father blindly invites his secret lover into the family home to care for her. As she obsessively tries to curate a pristine life, this new interloper remains indifferent to the girl, who seems to record her every move - and she realises only too late all that she has failed to see. With masterful narrative control, Nails and Eyes--appearing in English for the first time--builds to a conclusion of disturbing power. Paired with two additional stories of unsettled minds and creeping tension, it introduces a daring new voice in Japanese literature.

A fast-paced, darkly ironic novella from one of Japan's contemporary luminaries--and the husband of Mieko Kawakami--making his English language debut A teenager gripped by obsession seeks to free endangered birds in this darkly funny study of solitude and toxic masculinity set in modern-day Tokyo Perfect for fans of Earthlings by Sayaka Murata and Kawakami's Breasts and Eggs Isolated in his Tokyo apartment, 17-year-old Haruo spends all his time online, researching the plight of the endangered Japanese crested ibis, Nipponia Nippon. Living on an allowance from his parents, he drops ever further into a fantasy world in which he alone shares a special connection with the last of these noble birds, held at a conservation centre on the island of Sado. His conclusion is simple: it is his destiny to free the birds from a society that does not appreciate them, by whatever means necessary. With his emotional state becoming ever more erratic, he begins sourcing weapons and preparing for a reckoning in this darkly ironic study of toxic masculinity.