“People are born with their own special destiny, and it’s not something you can change just because you want to.”
Chapter 1: Newlywed
The story opens with a young woman named Satsuki, who has recently married a man named Ryūichi. She reflects on their relationship, which is tender but marked by an unspoken distance. Satsuki has a strange ability—she can see people’s past traumas in their shadows. One day, she notices something unsettling in Ryūichi’s shadow, hinting at a hidden pain he refuses to share. Their love is tested as she grapples with whether to confront him or let him heal in his own time.
Chapter 2: Lizard
A therapist named Lizard (nicknamed for her quick, darting movements) narrates this chapter. She specializes in helping trauma survivors but struggles with her own emotional detachment. One of her patients, a man named Kō, reveals a disturbing dream about a lizard shedding its skin. Lizard begins to see parallels between his dream and her own suppressed emotions. The chapter ends with her questioning whether she can truly help others when she avoids confronting her own pain.
Chapter 3: Blood and Water
A woman named Akemi reconnects with her estranged father after years of silence. Their reunion is tense, filled with unspoken resentment. During their meeting, Akemi recalls a childhood memory where she saw a lizard regenerate its tail—a metaphor for resilience. She wonders if their fractured relationship can ever heal. The chapter closes with her father tearfully admitting his regrets, leaving their future uncertain but hopeful.
Chapter 4: Dreaming of Kimchee
A young woman named Yōko moves to Tokyo and befriends a Korean-Japanese woman who runs a kimchi shop. Through their conversations, Yōko learns about cultural identity, displacement, and the weight of inherited trauma. The shop owner shares a folktale about a lizard that symbolizes transformation. Yōko begins to see her own struggles in a new light, realizing that change, though painful, is necessary for growth.
Chapter 5: Helix
A genetic researcher named Toshiro becomes obsessed with the idea of inherited memory after discovering a family secret. He dreams of lizards, which he interprets as symbols of evolution and continuity. His wife, who has been distant, confesses that she feels trapped by his emotional detachment. The chapter ends with Toshiro questioning whether breaking generational cycles is possible or if fate is predetermined.
Chapter 6: A Strange Tale from Down by the River
A folklorist records the story of a village where people believe lizards carry the souls of the dead. A young woman named Mika, grieving her sister’s death, becomes convinced that a lizard near her home is her sister’s spirit. The tale blurs the line between myth and reality, leaving Mika—and the reader—wondering about the boundaries of life and loss.
Chapter 7: Night and Night’s Travelers
The final chapter follows a nurse named Kei who works in a hospice. She meets a dying man who claims to have lived multiple lives, each time as a different creature—once as a lizard. His stories make Kei reflect on her own fear of death and the cyclical nature of existence. The book ends with her finding peace in the idea that life, in all its forms, is interconnected.
Key Ideas
- Trauma and healing through symbolic imagery (lizards as metaphors for resilience).
- The tension between fate and personal agency in relationships.
- Cultural identity and the weight of inherited memories.
- The blurred line between reality and myth in processing grief.
- Interconnectedness of life and the cyclical nature of existence.
Who should read this book?
- Readers who enjoy introspective, character-driven stories with magical realism.
- Those interested in Japanese literature exploring trauma and identity.
- Fans of Banana Yoshimoto’s lyrical, melancholic yet hopeful prose.