Flo is sick of Tokyo. Suffering from a crisis in confidence,she is stuck in a rut,her translation work has dried up and she's in a relationship that's run its course. That's until she stumbles upon a mysterious book left by a fellow passenger on the Tokyo Subway. From the very first page,Flo is transformed and immediately feels compelled to translate this forgotten novel,a decision which sets her on a path that will change her life...
It is a story about Ayako,a fierce and strict old woman who runs a coffee shop in the small town of Onomichi,where she has just taken guardianship of her grandson,Kyo. Haunted by long-buried family tragedy,both have suffered extreme loss and feel unable to open up to each other. As Flo follows the characters across a year in rural Japan,through the ups and downs of the pair's burgeoning relationship,she quickly realises that she needs to venture outside the pages of the book to track down its elusive author. And,as her two protagonists reveal themselves to have more in common with her life than first meets the eye,the lines between text and translator converge. The journey is just beginning.
From the author of The Cat and The City,Four Seasons in Japan is a gorgeously crafted book-within-a-book about literature,purpose and what it is to belong.
Publisher: Transworld Publishers LtdISBN: 9780857529343Number of pages: 336Weight: 453 gDimensions: 222 x 144 x 32 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'This novel is like the waves of the Seto Inland Sea. Waves that calmly roll in and out,permeating the reader's heart and mind profoundly,and before you know it there's a rich high tide.'- Kyoko Nakajima,author of Things Remembered and Things Forgotten
'This book is a finely-wrought wonder. Four Seasons in Japan carries its wisdom lightly,but tells a profound tale about the redemptive power of narrative and the consolations of art.'- Joe Mungo Reed,author of Hammer
'A beautifully constructed story within a story that builds to an emotional and satisfying conclusion; I loved being immersed in the characters'experiences of heartbreak,warmth,finding purpose and,of course,cats,in the shifting seasons of urban and rural Japan. Ayako is a character I will carry with me for a long time.'- Eleanor Wasserberg,author of The Light at the End of the Day
'I savoured every line of this beautifully observed portrait of Japan. Bradley creates a world and characters that are completely engrossing.'- Bea Setton,author of Berlin
'A beguiling book within a book that delicately traces the interconnectedness of lives across generations,within families,between strangers,and between books and their readers. I loved it.'- Andrew Cowan,author of Worthless Men
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