“Writing is like walking on thin ice—you never know when you’ll fall through.” Part One: The Grandmother’s Memoirs The novel opens with the autobiographical writings of a polar […]
Japanese literature
The Emissary
“The future had arrived, but it was nothing like what we’d imagined.” Chapter 1: A Changed World The novel opens in a near-future Japan where children are born […]
Japanese literature
Twinkle Twinkle
“People are like stars—some shine brightly, others flicker faintly, but they all have their place in the sky.” Chapter 1: An Unconventional Marriage The novel opens with Shoko, […]
Japanese literature
On Parole
“A man released from prison is like a ghost—neither fully alive nor entirely dead.” Chapter 1: Release Shiro Kikutani, a middle-aged man, is released from prison after serving […]
Japanese literature
Shipwrecks
“The sea was calm, but beneath its surface lurked the unseen currents that would decide their fate.” Chapter 1: The Village by the Sea The story opens in […]
Japanese literature
The Sea and Poison
“The sea is deep, and poison is bitter.” Chapter 1: The Hospital The novel opens in a Japanese hospital during World War II, where Dr. Suguro, a young […]
Japanese literature
Wonderful Fool
“A fool is like a mirror that reflects the true nature of those around him.” Chapter 1: The Arrival of Gaston The story begins with the unexpected arrival […]
Japanese literature
Scandal
“A man’s life is like a piece of paper on which every passerby leaves a mark.” Chapter 1: The Distinguished Writer Suguro, an aging Catholic novelist in Tokyo, […]
Japanese literature
Silence
“Christ did not die for the good and beautiful. It is easy enough to die for the good and beautiful; the hard thing is to die for the […]
Japanese literature
The Samurai
“A man’s life is like a piece of string. No matter how carefully you coil it, it will always come undone in the end.” Chapter 1: The Mission […]