“The lake was always there, silent and unchanging, reflecting everything yet revealing nothing.” Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter The novel opens with Chihiro, a young mural painter in […]
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
The Devotion of Suspect X
“Logic can be twisted to serve any purpose. The only truth is what you choose to believe.” Chapter 1: The Crime The novel opens with Yasuko Hanaoka, a […]
Japanese literature
The Nakano Thrift Shop
“People come and go, but things remain. That’s why I like them.” — Hiromi Kawakami, The Nakano Thrift Shop Part One The story follows Hitomi, a young woman […]
German literature
Measuring the World
“The world was large, and yet it was measurable.” Chapter 1: The Prodigy and the Explorer The novel opens by introducing its two protagonists: Carl Friedrich Gauss, the […]
Russian literature
Metro 2033
“The last metro train left at 18:00. The last metro train left at 18:00. The last metro train left at 18:00…” Chapter 1: Prologue Artyom, a young man […]
French literature
The Most Beautiful Book in the World
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” — Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt Chapter 1: Odette Toulemonde The book opens with Odette, an ordinary woman […]
French literature
The Possibility of an Island
“The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.” Part One: Daniel’s Story The novel begins with Daniel1, a successful but disillusioned comedian in his forties, living in […]
American literature
Twilight
“I’d never given much thought to how I would die—though I’d had reason enough in the last few months—but even if I had, I would not have imagined […]
American literature
Looking for Alaska
“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” — John Green, Looking for Alaska Before Miles “Pudge” Halter leaves his Florida home to attend […]