A fast-paced, darkly ironic novella from one of Japan's contemporary luminaries-and the husband of Mieko Kawakami-making his English language debut
A teenager gripped by obsession seeks to free endangered birds in this darkly funny study of solitude and toxic masculinity set in modern-day Tokyo
Perfect for fans of Earthlings by Sayaka Murata and Kawakami's Breasts and Eggs
Isolated in his Tokyo apartment, 17-year-old Haruo spends all his time online, researching the plight of the endangered Japanese crested ibis, Nipponia Nippon.
Living on an allowance from his parents, he drops ever further into a fantasy world in which he alone shares a special connection with the last of these noble birds, held at a conservation centre on the island of Sado.
His conclusion is simple: it is his destiny to free the birds from a society that does not appreciate them, by whatever means necessary. With his emotional state becoming ever more erratic, he begins sourcing weapons and preparing for a reckoning in this darkly ironic study of toxic masculinity.
| ISBN: | 9781782278535 |
| Publication date: | 27th July 2023 |
| Author: | Kazushige Abe |
| Publisher: | Pushkin Press an imprint of Steerforth Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 96 pages |
| Series: | Japanese Novellas |
| Genres: |
Fiction in translation |