Abstract

Living alone in Zushi, Shonan, Ai Asakura quits her job and shuts herself away in her apartment following the painful death of her beloved dog, Momo. One day, a parcel sent by her mother containing a memorial diamond created from Momo’s ashes goes missing right from her doorstep.

Searching for clues, she finds her way to Betty’s Kitchen, a seaside house offering American home cooking and English conversation classes. Her life takes a dramatic turn after meeting Naomi, the woman who delivered the package to her door—

A deeply touching, heartwarming novel depicting a woman taking her first steps toward a new life while carrying the weight of loss!

[Table of Contents]
Chapter One: Momo’s Diamond
Chapter Two: Red-Hot Fried Chicken
Chapter Three: Easy Macaroni & Cheese
Chapter Four: Sloppy Joes and Banana Pudding
Chapter Five: A Big Pot of Chicken Soup
Chapter Six: Texas-Style BBQ

Author’s Information

Born in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture in 1982. Graduated from Waseda University and completed her master's degree at the same university's graduate school. She made her literary debut in 2016 after winning the 11th Shosetsu Gendai Long Story Award for New Writers with Oshisho-sama, Totonoimashita! (Master, Everything is Set!). In 2019, her novel Kami Yui Hyakka (Hairdresser Hyakka) won both the 1st Historical and Period Fiction Writers Association Award for New Writers and the 2nd Masamitsu Hosoya Award. She is also actively creating contemporary novels, including Obachan ni Yute Mi? (Why Not Tell Auntie?), as well as the Setagaya Midori Maternity Clinic and Yokohama Laundromat series. Her other works include Renge Deai Chaya, Yukara Otome, and series such as Oedo Kemono-i Kedamado, Nemuri-isha Gussuri-an, Oedo Engiricho, and Kabuki Gakuya-urabanashi.