The classic Japanese bestseller published in English for the very first time - a darkly funny and relatable book portraying the lives of five women
'Witty, wise and thought-provoking' Cecelia Ahern
'Crackles and pops with humour, empathy and intelligence' Lisa Owens, author of Not Working
'So brilliantly written that I kept trying to memorise sentences in order to repeat them to people later' Roxy Dunn, author of As Young as This
Izumi needs to get a job.
Haruka needs to stop talking about how she once had cancer.
Katō needs to get through a shift at the convenience store without being harassed.
Mito needs to break up with her boyfriend - or marry him.
Sumie just needs somewhere to live.
In this classic Japanese bestseller, published in English twenty-five years after it took Japan by storm, the lives of five ordinary women are depicted with irresistible humour and searing emotional insight.
Review
A collection of short stories. The title of the book is the title of one of the stories.
If you've previously read Japanese fiction about magical cats and coffee shops, then this is a completely different level of fiction. A glimpse into lives of real women in Japan, albeit 25 years ago. However, in my opinion this could have been written today. The only thing I noticed was the absence of continued reference to technology, particularly mobile phones and social media.
The stories are brilliantly written (and translated). It felt like you were looking at life rather than reading a story. Each woman revealing her flaws and strengths, but not in a stylised way. In the last story the narrator is a man, which threw me as the other stories are narrated by a woman. It took me a minute to get that straight in my head.
I'm not the biggest fan of short stories, but these all felt a lot longer and so enjoyable. There was a depth achieved which is difficult to find when reading a smaller number of words. Whilst not neatly sewn up they all made me think about what came next.
There is also some insight into the author by the translator at the end of the book.
I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published in the UK on 3 July 2025.
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