Abstract

Troublesome, yet deeply cherished—
a moving story revolving around “home.”

In April, as the cherry blossom front moves northward across Japan—through Koriyama, Sendai, Hanamaki—five men and women travel by Shinkansen, each heading north, each facing what awaits them.
Family conflicts, attachment to one’s hometown, the bonds of life, the experience of loss…
With vivid, delicate prose, the story portrays complex, intertwining emotions and encounters in one’s hometown.

Carefully woven by a rising, highly regarded author, this is a tale of “beginnings” that seeps deep into the folds of the heart.

Author’s Information

Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1986. Graduated from the Faculty of Letters at Sophia University. In 2010, she won the Reader’s Prize of the 9th “R-18 Literary Award by Women, for Women” for Hana ni Mabayumu (Blinded by Flowers). In 2013, she published her first standalone book, Ano Hito wa Kumo o Tsubusenai (That Person Can’t Crush a Spider). In 2017, she was nominated for the Naoki Prize for Kuchinashi (Gardenia) and, in 2018, won the 5th High School Naoki Prize for the same work. In 2019, she was nominated for the 36th Oda Sakunosuke Award for Mori ga Afureru (The Forest Brims Over). In 2021, she was again a Naoki Prize nominee for Atarashii Hoshi (A New Star).

The Forest Brims Over (Mori ga Afureru) has been translated into English and Italian.