A Perfect Day to be Alone
the award-winning Japanese coming-of-age classic
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- 3,99 €
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- 3,99 €
Publisher Description
*WINNER OF THE AKUTAGAWA PRIZE, Japan's most prestigious literary award, first published when the author was just 24*
*A Japanese contemporary classic, perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman*
*A love letter to Tokyo as it can only be seen through the eyes of a young woman setting out in the world*
It was raining when I arrived at the house. The walls of my room were lined with cat photos, set in fancy frames just below the ceiling.
When her mother emigrates to China for work, 21-old Chizu moves in with 71-year-old Ginko, an eccentric distant relative, taking a room in her ramshackle Tokyo home, with its two resident cats and the persistent rattle of passing trains.
Living their lives in imperfect symmetry, they establish an uneasy alliance, stress tested by Chizu's flashes of youthful spite. As the four seasons pass, Chizu navigates a series of tedious part-time jobs and unsatisfying relationships, before eventually finding her feet and salvaging a fierce independence from her solitude.
A Perfect Day to be Alone is a moving, microscopic examination of loneliness and heartbreak. With flashes of deadpan humour and a keen eye for poignant detail, Aoyama chronicles the painful process of breaking free from the moorings of youth.
Early reader reviews
"You will love it. I hope we have more translations from this author ASAP, she is super talented! As is the translator!" *****
"A Perfect Day to Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama blew me away utterly and completely" *****
Translated from the Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A young woman spends a year adrift in Aoyama's elegant English-language debut. Surly 20-year-old Chizu Mita moves in with her distant relative, Ginko Ogino, in Tokyo after Chizu's mother leaves for a teaching job in China. Chizu tries to needle the 71-year-old woman for her quirks, such as decorating a room with photos of her deceased cats, but Ginko is unflappable. Chizu gets a job as a kiosk attendant at the nearby rail station and starts dating coworker Fujita, though they don't have much to talk about (their meals are "quiet and peaceful, like the unruffled surface of a lake"). As the year passes, Chizu's mood never thaws, despite Ginko's efforts, such as inviting the young woman on outings with her new boyfriend, a ballroom dancer. Aoyama adeptly conveys Chizu's loneliness and how her unvoiced emotions drive her attempts to pull others into her misery. The result is a notable tale of arrested development.
