Diary of a void

£9.99

When 34-year-old Ms Shibata gets a new job in Tokyo to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that, as the only woman at her workplace, she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day, she announces that she can’t clear away her colleagues’ dirty cups – because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is – Ms Shibata isn’t! Pregnant Ms Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms Shibata rests, watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. But pregnant Ms Shibata also has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Helped along by towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app on which she can log every stage of her ‘pregnancy’, she feels prepared to play the game for the long haul. Before long, though, the hoax becomes all-absorbing, and the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.

Out of stock

Description

For the sake of women everywhere, Ms Shibata is going to pull off the mother of all deceptions…

‘Incredibly thought-provoking… you’ll love Yagi’s writing’ STYLIST

Ms Shibata refuses to clear away the coffee at work one day, because she’s pregnant and can’t bear the smell. The only thing is . . . Ms Shibata is not pregnant.

Being a mother-to-be isn’t easy. Ms Shibata has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her ‘pregnancy’, the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.

Discover this prizewinning, thrillingly subversive new novel that’s perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Breasts and Eggs.

‘A subversive, surreal read that will strike a cord’ RED

‘One of the most passionate cases I’ve ever read for female interiority, for women’s creative pulse and rich inner life’ NEW YORKER

Translated from the Japanese by David Boyd and Lucy North

Additional information

Weight 0.159 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 1.4 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

176

Language

English

Edition

1st paperback ed

Dewey

895.636 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K