“The days were long, but the summer was short. And before I knew it, the cicadas had stopped singing.” Chapter 1: The Move Asa, a young woman, moves […]
Japanese literature
The Factory
“The factory was like a living thing. It breathed, it pulsed, it grew.” Chapter 1: The Hiring Process The novel opens with an unnamed protagonist, a recent graduate […]
Japanese literature
There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job
“I wanted an easy job. That was all. A job that wouldn’t burden me with unnecessary stress, that would leave my mind free to think about other things.” […]
Japanese literature
Where the Wild Ladies Are
“The dead are always with us. They just change their forms.” Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda is a collection of interconnected feminist retellings of traditional […]
Japanese literature
The Book of Tokyo
“Tokyo is a city of layers—some visible, some hidden beneath the surface, but all pulsing with life.” Introduction The Book of Tokyo, edited by Masashi Matsuie, is a […]
Japanese literature
The Aosawa Murders
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Chapter 1: The Poisoning The novel opens with the horrific mass poisoning at the Aosawa family estate during a […]
Japanese literature
Murder in the Crooked House
“A house built on lies will always collapse under the weight of truth.” Chapter 1: The Crooked House The story opens with the introduction of the bizarre architectural […]
Japanese literature
The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
“Astrology is a science, but murder is an art.” Chapter 1: The Bizarre Manuscript The novel opens with the discovery of a disturbing manuscript written by the eccentric […]
Japanese literature
Pro Bono
“In the courtroom, truth is not always justice.” Chapter 1: The Mysterious Client A struggling young lawyer, Kenzo Murakami, is approached by an elderly woman who insists he […]
Japanese literature
Inspector Imanishi Investigates
“The truth is often hidden in the most ordinary places.” Chapter 1: The Discovery Inspector Imanishi, a seasoned Tokyo detective, is called to investigate a gruesome murder at […]