Abstract

This compelling, multi-layered work set in near-future Japan is the story of two sisters with contrasting personalities—the honest, accommodating, and hardworking Ichika, and the idealistic, creative, unambitious, Nikoru—as they struggle to assert themselves in their respective careers and lives. The tale begins with Ichika inviting Nikoru to the circus, visiting their hometown for the first time in twenty years, sparking nostalgic memories for Ichika but confusion for Nikoru, who vividly recalls a tiger escape that never happened. In the years that follow, Ichika navigates her corporate career at NN Pharmaceuticals while being urged to take the lead in an industry–academia collaborative effort to run clinical trials for a new drug, and Nikoru pursues her passion for accessory design, finding inspiration in her imagined tiger. The sisters’ lives diverge and intertwine against a backdrop of personal and professional challenges, leading to Ichika's involvement in a data tampering scandal and Nikoru’s artistic rise and fall, before ultimately finding solace and healing in their bond with one another. With its rich character development and evocative storytelling, Prairie Circus offers a poignant, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant narrative, an incisive social commentary on modern-day Japan about personal growth and hope for the future.

Author’s Information

Maru Ayase (1986-) was born in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo. In 2010, she won the Reader's Prize in the ‘R-18 Literature Prize for Women by Women’ with ‘Hanani Kuramu’ and made her debut. In 2017, she was shortlisted for the Naoki Prize with ‘Kuchinashi’, and in 2021, she was shortlisted again for the Naoki Prize with ‘Atarashii Hoshi’. Her works include ‘Anohito wa Kumo wo Tsubushinai’, ‘Yagate Umi e Todoku’, ‘Asa ga Kuru made Soba ni Iru’ and ‘Sogen no Circus’. In 2023, her short story ‘Furueru’ (Trembling), which is included in the collection ‘Hana ni Umoreru’ (Buried in Flowers), was published in the British literary magazine ‘GRANTA’, and the English version of ‘Mori ga Afureru’ (The Forest Brims Over) was also published, receiving high praise overseas.