Asako Otani

In this skewed, mordantly funny novel, two women navigate ageing and relationships in divergent ways. Stuck in a bland, low-paying job, Hirai, 38, agrees to move in with her colleague Suganuma, 42. Both women are single and feel ambivalent at best about the prospect of marriage. Defying social expectations, they create their own soothing domestic routines. But when Suganuma reveals...