Parasite Eve
Review Never in my life have I ever encountered a book that I felt more conflicted by. Parasite Eve is a Japanese techno-thriller that spawned a film adaptation and a…
Now You’re One of Us
Review I have found a true Japanese gothic horror and I am head over heels in love! Now You're One of Us is the story of a young woman that…
Hardboiled & Hard Luck
Review Hardboiled & Hard Luck is a collection of two novellas that share a theme of grief and loss. Both stories read like a gentle goodbye as each narrator explores…
A Girl on the Shore
Review A Girl on the Shore is a manga that I didn’t know that I needed. It’s a story about two youths, struggling with an oppressive ennui that leads them…
In the Miso Soup
Review I'm beginning to think that I have an unhealthy obsession with Japanese thrillers, I've loved every single one that I have picked up so far. In the Miso Soup…
Confessions
Review How would you react if your child was murdered by two of your students? Yuko is a teacher that finds herself conflicted between her grief as a mother and…
Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse
Review Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse is perhaps one of the more experimental stories I've ever read. It is told from the point of view of Satsuki, a young girl…
Convenience Store Woman
Review Keiko is a convenience store worker and, to the people around her, a bit of an oddball. She has worked part-time at the same store for her entire adult…
Strange Weather in Tokyo
Review Strange Weather in Tokyo is a poignant love story that feels like the changing of the seasons. There is really something to admire about Kawakami's writing, the way she…
Life Ceremony
Review When I read Convenience Store Woman a few years ago I couldn't get enough of Murata's writing. I'm a big fan of short stories, so I was excited to…