Japanese Fiction, Please

Niche rabbit holes.

This is niche but I do love a niche rabbit hole here. Plus, it’s my Substack and I’ll write what I want to. And what I want to write about today is my favourite Japanese fiction. I acknowledge you can’t paint the writing style of a whole country with the same brush. But what I do love about the authors here is how each word, and in turn each sentence and paragraph feels so beautifully sparse, every word carefully chosen and laboured over to illustrate a point and/or build a story that’s often unlike anything else I’ve ever read.

So many of my favourite books are from Japanese authors, a couple I’ve written about here and here (I did read The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada, and it was deeply unsettling). One of my favourite books ever is The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, which I’ll literally never stop recommending (and if you haven’t read it yet, you should stop reading this and just go pick it up.) (See you later.)

Earlier

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

I hate to be dramatic, but I really think everyone should read this book. Especially, if you’re someone who a) has a body, and b) wants to be a parent, or are considering having children. It’s such a fascinating look at parenting, autonomy, and family in the context of what is considered a traditional, structured society like Japan. It delves into so much but one of my biggest takeaways was the risk we take when having children on behalf of our children when we act on fulfilling our desire to become a parent. (Ridiculously complicated sentence.)

Now

Strange Weather In Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami

I’m currently reading this and while I’m not sure how I feel yet, I love the cadence of Kawakami’s writing; I find it soothing and hypnotic at times. I think it’s unlikely I’ll love it but I like this more than Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (sorry!!), I found it repetitive and a little slow.

Later

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

I promised myself I’d read this this year but I’ve been putting it off because I’m nervous and because Murata’s Earthlings stayed with me for long after I finished it, not in a bad way but also not in the best way.

Enjoy!