“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
NP
“People die all the time. Life is a lot more fragile than we think. So you should treat others in a way that leaves no regrets. Fairly, and […]
Japanese literature
Kitchen
“The place I like best in this world is the kitchen.” Chapter 1: Kitchen The novel opens with Mikage Sakurai, a young woman who has recently lost her […]
Russian literature
Dark Avenues
“All love is great happiness, even if it is not shared.” Dark Avenues (Russian: Тёмные аллеи) is a collection of short stories by Ivan Bunin, centered on themes […]
French literature
Fresh Water for Flowers
“The dead don’t go anywhere. They’re all here. Each one in a box.” Fresh Water for Flowers follows Violette Toussaint, a cemetery caretaker in a small French town, […]
French literature
Hunting and Gathering
“Sometimes, happiness is just a matter of putting the right people together in the same place.” Chapter 1: The Unlikely Roommates The novel introduces four misfits living in […]