First published 2018
In the title story, a woman confesses to her lover that she possesses the ability to heal others through mental power alone. She has never felt secure before this moment of vulnerability. In "Newlywed," an unhappy husband misses his train stop on purpose. A homeless man who can change his shape confronts him about his failing marriage. In "Blood and Water," a woman remembers fleeing the village where she grew up. Her parents belonged to a New Age cult that controlled the community, but she chose to leave and build her own fulfilling existence. These six interconnected stories follow young Japanese urbanites as they confront questions of time, healing, and destiny. Each character must discover how to reinvent themselves while navigating the dangers of contemporary life. Yoshimoto blends traditional culture with modern pop elements, creating portraits that reveal the journeys people take toward self-understanding.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, japanese-literature
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, reinvention
Setting: Japan
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
192 pages · Paperback · Grove Press