3 New Books That’ll Take You On A Literary Trip To Japan
Newly released English translations are bringing overdue attention to Japan’s star female authors. Here are three names to get to know.
There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura
After burning out at her last job, a thirtysomething woman takes on temp gigs that require basically no thinking. She puts up posters. She punches entry tickets. She monitors a hidden-camera feed, writes bus ads, tucks trivia into packages of rice crackers. But she can’t quite detach herself completely: Each mundane job reveals moments of mystery, kindness and magic. This book is a total charmer.
Terminal Boredom by Izumi Suzuki
Sci-fi writer Izumi Suzuki wrote dark, curiously prescient, totally punk rock short stories that made her a countercultural icon at home. Now, 35 years after her death, comes this collection of some of her finest work, which investigates questions of gender, social isolation and off-limits love. In the title story, a young couple is too consumed by their screens to pay much attention to the police state that’s formed around them. We told you she was ahead of her time!
Where the Wild Ladies Are by Aoko Matsuda
These short stories are filled with women who absolutely refuse to behave. Stubborn, prone to fits of jealousy and flights of revenge, they also all happen to be ghosts. Matsuda reimagines classic Japanese folktales for the modern day, casting her protagonists as Beyoncé-singing, athleisure-wearing, lifestyle blogging women with a weakness for haunting the living. It’s a subversive, feminist collection that goes down a treat.
