I read Strangers by Taichi Yamada for the Japanese literature challenge. This was my first book for the challenge, and I don’t recollect ever having read a book translated from the Japanese before. I first heard about it from kimbofo at Reading Matters, who gave it a perfect 5 star rating.
It’s very atmospheric. I found myself thinking about it long after reading the novel, and the story somewhat reminded me of an M. Night Shyamalan movie. Harada lives in a building on a very busy street in Tokyo. However, most of the units in the building have been converted to office space and, consequently, there are only two tenants there after hours. He’s a little spooked by the quietness in the building at night but chalks it up to being recently divorced and unused to being alone.
One night he decides to go to his hometown where he meets a couple who are the spitting image of his long-dead parents. He keeps going back to see them to try to determine who they really are. There are other strange happenings in his life that I won’t spoil for you here.
It’s a short book that can be read in a few hours, and I encourage anyone interested in world literature to read it. The ‘quiet suspense’ of the novel impressed me and made me want to read more by this author.
(1987 [2003 in U.S.], 203 pp.)
Rating: 
This sounds great for a “Y” author!
This sounds like it would be a good place to start with Japanese literature. I’ve been wanting to try something but wasn’t sure what to start with.
Thanks for this recommendation. I’ve been looking for some international fiction in translation, so I may give this one a try.
I read this last year and really enjoyed it. I have another book titled In Search of a Distant Voice by the same author and can’t wait to jump into it.
Sounds interesting. I’ve liked the M Night Shamalan movies I’ve seen. And Y was an author I missed last year!
Thanks for the review Michelle. It sounds really good and I added it to my TBR. You are such an enabler!
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