Tsune moved home at the end of January. Her husband Matsu's company was due to relocate to Yokohama in April and, after several months of searching, they settled on an apartment in nearby Kawasaki...
***
Takeout Sushi is a collection of 17 illustrated short stories set mostly in contemporary Japan that explore feelings of belonging, displacement, and the strangeness of everyday human interaction.
In an innovative, fast-paced company, a man’s job comes under threat when a team of robots are brought in to replace the HR department. A husband’s search for shortcuts to his domestic tasks goes painfully wrong. Overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, a foreigner takes a weekend break and discovers something other than solitude in the mountains.
Marking Christopher Green’s debut adult fiction and inspired by his own experiences, these whimsical slice-of-life tales are full of heart and humour—perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
***
Generally speaking, I am not a lover of short stories. However, every now and again I discover a collection which entices me to read them. When I was offered an advanced reader's copy of this book I was sufficiently interested to try it.
My son and I share a mutual interest in Japanese fiction, and books frequently get passed back and forth between us. This book is a little different to our normal reading fare in that it is not written by a Japanese author. That said, the author has lived in Japan for many years, and these stories are written with insight. His observations of contemporary Japanese life made for easy and enjoyable reading.
The short quote at the header of this post is the opening couple of sentences to the first story in the book, Swallows, which I really enjoyed reading and is a great introduction to the quality of the stories. They are entertaining and some are written with wit and humour. I laughed out loud at the efforts that a husband went to demonstrate that he could cope alone when his wife was away on business in Burned.
There are just a few stories towards the end of the collection which are set in other parts of the world but are equally entertaining.
Each of these stories had something to offer, and I hesitate to say which was my favourite as I enjoyed so many of them. However, if I had to pick just one, it would have to be Spinning Wheels, as it demonstrates the fiasco that could occur if we allowed robots to be in charge. I am certain that everyone who reads this book would have a different list of their preferred ones and that is what makes this book so appealing.
The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter were a nice addition, and I liked their simple yet appealing style.
I recommend this book to lovers of short stories and those interested in modern Japan.
ISBN: 978 1915584311
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Formats: paperback
No. of Pages: 272
About the Author:
A long-time resident of Japan, Christopher lives near Tokyo with his wife and daughter. Christopher writes short stories and children's stories. His first collection of short stories Takeout Sushi is due for publication by Neem Tree Press in May 2024.
For a little more about Christopher and his books, please visit www.greeninjapan.com.
For Christopher's goodreads page for his children's books, please visit Chris Green.
(ARC and media courtesy of The Write Reads)
(all opinions are my own)
No comments:
Post a Comment