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ひらやすみ (Hirayasumi) #1 by Keigo Shinzo
Hirayasumi is a wonderful slice of life manga that will definitely appeal to fans of the iyashikei sub-genre. There is a lulling, comforting even, quality to the Shinzo’s storytelling, from his characters to his art style. With little preamble the manga explores every-day experiences of its central characters, giving insight into their lives and the…
Adult, adulthood, ART/CREATIVITY, ARTISTS, ひらやすみ, Contemporary, existentialism, friendships, Hirayasumi, HUMOR, Iyashikei, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, Keigo Shinzo, light reads, male artists, male authors, manga, published in 2021, read in 2022, Sequential Art, SLICE OF LIFE, tokyo, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, uplifting reads, youth -
The Pachinko Parlour by Elisa Shua Dusapin
“I felt almost affectionate towards those machines, a kind of pity tinged with fear. As soon as they were fed, their contents would be regurgitated, undigested.” I am happy to report that I found Shua Dusapin’s second novel much more to my liking than her first one (which i actually tried revisiting hoping that it…
1st pov, 3.25 stars, Adult, adulthood, ambivalent mood, cold tone, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, dreamlike quality, Elisa Shua Dusapin, ennui, female authors, FRANCE, French Korean author, grandparents, introspective, japan, Korea, language, loneliness, melancholy, navel gazing, published in 2018, read in 2022, stylised prose, teachers, the female malaise, The Pachinko Parlour, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION -
Solo Dance by Kotomi Li
“There’s a limit to how much misogyny and heteronomrative bullshit a story can have.” Solo Dance follows a millennial woman from Taiwan working an office job in Tokyo who feels alienated from her colleagues and their daily conversations about marriage, the economy, and children. Chō, our protagonist, is a lesbian, something she keeps ‘hidden’ from…
1st pov, 2.5 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, BOOK REVIEW, BOOK REVIEWS, Booklr, books about books, books about writers, break-ups, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, cultural dissonance, DEPRESSION, existentialism, f/f, female authors, heartbreak/breakups, japan, Kotomi Li, LESBIAN, lgbtq+, Li Kotomi, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, navel gazing, office, published in 2018, queer, rape, read in 2022, reading, sapphic, sexual assault/abuse/rape, SEXUALITY, she is not feeling good at all, social issues, Solo Dance, subject over characters/story, suicide, taiwan, taiwanese author, the female malaise, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE, work culture, youth -
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami
Previously to reading All the Lovers in the Night, I’d read Breasts and Eggs, Heaven, and Ms. Ice Sandwich, by Mieko Kawakami. While I was not ‘fond’ of Breasts and Eggs, I did find her other books to be compelling. As the premise for All the Lovers in the Night did bring to mind Breasts…
1st pov, 2010s, 3.25 stars, addiction, Adult, All the Lovers in the Night, anxiety, atmospheric, Booklr, books about books, bullying, Contemporary, DEPRESSION, endless monologues, female authors, female friendships, friendships, identity, introspective, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, loneliness, Longing, melancholy, Mieko Kawakami, mumblecore, navel gazing, philosophical, psychological, published in 2022, re-reads, read in 2021, read in 2022, SLICE OF LIFE, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, social issues, surreal, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION, work culture -
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…
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Moshi 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…
1st pov, 2000s, 2010s, 3 STARS, affairs, age gap, Banana Yoshimoto, Dreams, existentialism, family, fathers & daughters, favourite authors, female authors, food & cooking, GRIEF, incest-y, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, Moshi Moshi, mothers & daughters, mumblecore, navel gazing, problematic romance, published in 2010, READ IN 2019, ROMANCE, SLICE OF LIFE, suicide, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION, work culture -
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
The Lake is narrated by the quintessential Banana Yoshimoto protagonist. While Yoshimoto’s sparse yet dreamy makes for an easy reading experience this is definitely not one of her ‘strongest’ novels.Chihiro, daughter of an ‘unconventional’ couple, moves to Tokyo in order to pursue a career graphic artist. She’s still grieving her mother’s death and spends most…
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The Devotion of Suspect X (Detective Galileo #1) by Keigo Higashino
The Devotion of Suspect X is an unusual detective novel. By the end of the first chapter readers witness the murder that is at the centre of this novel. We know the identity and motivations of the perpetrator. What follows is a compulsive game of cat-and-mouse between ‘detective Galileo’ and Suspect X. At times this…
2000s, 3.25 stars, 3rd pov, Adult, cat and mouse, Contemporary, CRIME, DETECTIVE, Detective Galileo, Detective Galileo series, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, Keigo Higashino, male authors, MURDER, murder mystery, MYSTERY, obsession, police procedural, Psychological thriller, published in 2005, read in 2020, stalking, SUSPENSE, The Devotion of Suspect X, THRILLER, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION -
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan — book review
“When I closed my eyes, I could still hear her sharp, stubborn voice and surprisingly unbridled laugh.” With grace and clarity Clarissa Goenawan’s The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida tells a tragic yet tender tale, one that begins with an ending: Miwako Sumida, a university student, has committed suicide. “I hadn’t thought I would use…
1980s, 20th century, 3.5 STARS, abuse, Adult, ARTISTS, BOOK REVIEWS, Clarissa Goenawan, female authors, friendships, ghosts/spirits, GRIEF, Indonesian Singaporean author, introspective, japan, lgbtq+ side, LITERARY FICTION, loneliness, MAGICAL REALISM, MEMORY, mental health, MYSTERY, orphans, published in 2020, rape, read in 2020, sexual assault/abuse/rape, siblings, suicide, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida, tokyo, tragedy, trans side characters, TRANSGENDER, trauma, UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE -
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata — book review
“The normal world has no room for exceptions and always quietly eliminates foreign objects. Anyone who is lacking is disposed of.” Having read Convenience Store Woman 4 times in 2 years it is safe to say that I find it to be a really ingenious work. Convenience Store Woman‘s slender size, its genial yet absurd…
1st pov, 4 STARS, Adult, ALIENATION, BOOK REVIEW, Contemporary, contemporary malaise, Convenience Store Woman, dark humor, female authors, feminism, HUMOR, identity, introspective, japan, JAPANESE AUTHOR, mental health, Neurodiversity, otherness, re-reads, read in 2020, read in 2021, read in 2022, Sayaka Murata, SOCIAL COMMENTARY, surreal, the female malaise, tokyo, TRANSLATED FICTION, weird, womanhood/femininity, work culture
luce [is reading] 