Hitomi works at a cluttered second-hand shop in Tokyo run by her boss Mr. Nakano, a man with a string of past relationships and a loose attitude toward business. The shop sells whatever turns up: old appliances, odd furniture, bric-a-brac. Hitomi's slow, hesitant attachment to her coworker Takeo and the comings and goings of Mr. Nakano's sister Masayo form the thread of linked chapters, each ending with a short photo-like pause on the characters' small, awkward lives.
This is a quiet, humorous book for people who like Japanese fiction built on mood, ordinary work and unspoken feeling instead of plot. Pick it up for the deadpan comedy of a shop where nothing much happens and everyone is slightly in love with the wrong person.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Mindful Reader. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2005
- Language
- EN
