Ms. Shibata lives a life of mundane office drudgery where her male colleagues expect her to perform all domestic labor, from clearing coffee cups to bleaching the communal fridge. Fed up with these gendered expectations, she tells a lie: she is pregnant. This fabrication immediately exempts her from overtime and menial chores, granting her the autonomy to eat dinner at home and visit a local swimming pool. As she meticulously tracks her fake gestation through a smartphone app, the line between her deception and her physical reality begins to blur within the rigid social structures of corporate Japan.
Readers interested in the intersection of labor politics and feminist resistance find a sobering depiction of how women navigate restrictive workplace hierarchies. The book appeals to those studying social alienation and the performance of gender roles in urban environments. Instead of offering a traditional moral lesson, the narrative provides a look at the lengths an individual will go to reclaim their time and body from a system that views them solely as a utility. Readers walk away with a stark perspective on the psychological tolls of modern employment.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2020
- Language
- EN
