before i write anything else in this review, i have just 3 words… 

seriously, its kind of crazy how this book came out in the original language in.. 2016? yet it feels so topical to todays discussions. 

this is a translated work of japanese fiction that was longlisted for the 2025 booker prize. what i really love about this work coming from an eastern country is how there is less of a focus on individual characters (though they do show up in and out of these interconnected stories), and more of the human collective as a whole. i think that is one of the strongest literary elements at play here. 

i also think asa yoneda did an amazing job at the translation. if youve read japanese litfic before, you may be familiar with the very blunt, short style of sentences. thats still at play here, and i think it lends beautifully to the melancholic feeling of this book. if youve read how high we go in the dark by sequoia nagamatsu, i think this is very similar in that vein (it is less explicably sad, but i think it has more of a rainy, melancholic mood). 

if you play a lot of video games, i think this reminds me a lot of the xeno series and aegis rim (but less sci-fi-y, more about the nature of humans). i especially like the cyclical aspect this book brings. again, im an american, and i think the culture where i live is hyper individualized. this book really helps shape a perspective that shows how we as humanity are interlinked. 

i loved this book, so much. it might be my favorite read of the year so far. i cannot wait for a reread in the future.