Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers,'Sensei',in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior,retired and,she presumes,a widower.
After this initial encounter,the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake,and as the seasons pass - from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms - Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love. Perfectly constructed,funny,and moving,Strange Weather in Tokyo is a tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance.
This edition contains the bonus story,'Parade',which imagines an ordinary day in the lives of this unusual couple.
Publisher: Granta BooksISBN: 9781783785797Number of pages: 224Weight: 162 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 13 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A dream-like spell of a novel,full of humour,sadness,warmth and tremendous subtlety. I read this in one sitting and I think it will haunt me for a long time'- Amy Sackville
'Enchanting,moving and funny in equal measure,this compelling love story is expertly crafted against a backdrop of modern Japanese culture... I (was) captivated... Stylish and unsentimental,a perfect love story'- Stylist
'I'm hooked... It's interesting enough to read about an aging woman drawn to an older man; when this attraction comes wrapped up in Japanese nostalgia for old fashioned inns,mushroom hunting,refined manners,and Basho,how can a person resist I can only imagine what wizardry must have gone into Allison Markin Powell's translation'- Lorin Stein,The Paris Review
'Kawakami transforms an affecting cross-generational romance into an exquisite poem of time and mutability.... Delicate and haunting'- Boyd Tonkin
'This short,quirky love story has a very distinctive,very Japanese sensibility... Allison Markin Powell's translation is clear and graceful'-Independent on Sunday
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