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August is Women in Translation month, but at any time of year it's worth checking out these incredible novels written by women all around the world and then translated beautifully into English for us to enjoy. Take a look!
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I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman is a haunting dystopian novel about a group of women held captive underground without knowledge of why or how they got there. The story follows the journey of one woman who emerges after their escape, exploring themes of freedom, identity, and humanity in a stark and mysterious world.
Compelling, delightfully weird, often uncomfortable PANDORA SYKES Unputdownable, breathtakingly original ERIN KELLY I have been glued to Asako Yuzuki's new novel Butter NIGEL SLATER A full-fat, Michelin-starred treat THE TIMES The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story. There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Centre convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation's imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe...
The unmissable new novel of friendship and dangerous obsession from Asako Yuzuki, the award-winning author of the global bestselling sensation Butter. Eriko really wouldn’t mind being savaged, if it was her best friend doing the savaging … Eriko’s life appears perfect – devoted parents, spotless apartment and a job in the seafood division of one of Japan’s largest trading companies. Her latest project, to reintroduce the controversial Nile perch fish into the Japanese market, is characteristically ambitious. But beneath her flawless surface she is wracked by loneliness. Eriko becomes fascinated with a popular blog written by a housewife, Shoko. Shoko’s posts about eating convenience store food and her untidy home are the opposite of the typical Japanese housewife’s manicured lifestyle. When Eriko tracks Shoko down at her favourite restaurant...
The Memory Police is set on an unnamed island where everyday objects start to disappear, seemingly erased from existence. The Memory Police enforce these disappearances, while a young novelist secretly preserves lost items. Her efforts to resist the erasures become perilous as the sense of identity and memory itself faces obliteration in this haunting tale of control and resistance.
The Vegetarian by Han Kang is a powerful story about a woman in South Korea who decides to stop eating meat after a series of disturbing dreams. Her seemingly simple choice disrupts her life and her relationships, revealing the complexities of personal choice and social expectations. The novel delves into themes of identity, rebellion, and societal pressure.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is the first novel in the Neapolitan Quartet, exploring the intricate friendship between two girls, Elena and Lila, in a post-war, poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Naples. As they grow, their bond is both supportive and competitive, reflecting the challenges of changing societal expectations, family ties, and personal ambitions. This evocative narrative captures the complexity of friendship and the relentless quest for personal identity through the lens of their intertwined lives.
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead is a mystery novel set in a remote Polish village. The story follows an eccentric, reclusive woman who becomes embroiled in a series of peculiar deaths when she suspects they might be linked to local wildlife. As she investigates, the narrative explores themes of ecology, fate, and the complexity of human nature.
An absolutely stunning little book, unlike anything else I've ever read. A meditation on time and our relationship to it. Groundhog day but done in a way that is wonderfully unique and reflection, written and translated with absolutely impeccable skill. I cannot wait to read the rest of the series.
The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante is a captivating exploration of the evolving friendship between Elena and Lila, two women from a poor neighbourhood in Naples, as they navigate the complexities of love, ambition, and societal expectations. Through personal struggles and triumphs, their intertwined destinies highlight the stark contrasts and intimate bonds that shape their lives.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata is a profound exploration of societal norms through the life of Keiko Furukura, a 36-year-old woman who finds solace and purpose working part-time at a convenience store in Tokyo. Despite her family's pressure to conform to traditional paths of career success and marriage, Keiko thrives in her simple role, challenging the reader to question what it truly means to lead a fulfilling life. The novel deftly examines individuality and the quiet rebellion of living on one's own terms.
Human Acts by Han Kang delves into the harrowing Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, exploring the complex aftermath of the event. This novel weaves together multiple perspectives, each grappling with grief, loss, and identity, and illuminating the profound effects of collective trauma on individuals and society. The narrative compassionately unravels the struggle to retain humanity amid brutal political repression.
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante explores the lives of two friends, Elena and Lila, as they navigate adulthood in 1970s Italy. The novel delves into their personal struggles, political tensions, and the evolving dynamics of their tumultuous yet profound friendship.
From the International Booker Prize Shortlisted author of Heaven and Breasts and Eggs Hana has nothing but she's hopeful. She's fifteen years old. She lives in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears. Kimiko is older, a bright light in Hana's dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that caters to hostesses and their marks, small-time crooks, men with low morals and deep pockets, and anyone down on their luck. Suddenly, Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible. But in the seedy streets of Setagaya,...
Tara Selter is one of many. In a sprawling villa on the outskirts of Bremen, Tara Selter is starting to settle into a new kind of eighteenth of November. Her days with Henry, Ralf, and Olga revolve around the daily routines of practical chores: gathering provisions, splitting firewood. But one morning, there are five new arrivals at their wrought-iron gate. Now the villa is full of people. As their community grows, their search for answers about the eighteenth of November becomes more urgent. Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and Winner of the Nordic Council Prize for Literature, On the Calculation of Volume IV is the fourth volume of the poetic, page-turning European masterpiece about one woman's fall through the cracks of time. 'Absolutely, absolutely incredible.' Karl Ove...
The phenomenal word-of-mouth bestseller, shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, winner of 5 awards in Sweden including the Swedish Book of the Year and the Swedish Booksellers prize, with rights sold in 39 territories. Uplifting, deeply moving, emotional – this book will stay with you in a remarkable way. Discover the international word-of-mouth bestseller, shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize, and winner of the Swedish Book of the Year. 'The most moving book I've ever read – heart-breaking but also heart-warming.' Jacqueline Wilson 'The kind of book you give to someone when you're really trying to say "I've been thinking about you" but don't know how.' Fredrik Backman, bestselling author of A Man Called Ove 'A novel anyone will take to heart...a simple yet effective meditation...
‘Fantastic.’ Karl Ove Knausgard ‘Miraculous.’ The Cut ‘Unforgettable.’ Hernan Diaz ‘Wonderful.’ K Patrick ‘A total explosion: a new dimension.’ Nicole Krauss The second volume of the landmark European masterpiece about a woman lost in time. I was sure that through careful listening you could solve any problem that might arise. If you really listened. The great questions in life. Everything. Tara Selter is searching for a way back into time. A year has passed, but Tara still wakes up to the same newspapers, and the same blank faces when she explains that she has seen this all before. Until one morning, she boards a train and finds herself in a new day. It is still the eighteenth of November, but the faces are different, the weather is colder....
The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante follows the lifelong friendship of two women, Elena and Lila, as they navigate personal and political upheavals in Naples. Their bond is tested by their divergent paths, and the story explores themes of identity, ambition, and the complexities of female friendship.
Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez delves into the dark journey of a father and his son as they navigate a world entangled with eerie supernatural elements. It explores themes of love, protection, and the sinister legacies that haunt them. This gripping tale is sure to captivate readers of general fiction with its blend of emotional depth and suspense.
The third volume of the landmark European masterpiece about a woman lost in time. Tara Selter is no longer alone. I have met someone who remembers. Yesterday. That is to say, I met him yesterday. But he remembers yesterday, too. He remembers that we met yesterday. 'A classic in the making.' — Chetna Maroo 'I'm counting the days until the next instalment.' — Jon McGregor 'Absolutely, absolutely fantastic.' — Karl Ove Knausgaard
Cursed Bunny by Bora Chung blends elements of horror, fantasy, and magical realism. The collection of short stories examines themes of family, love, and economic disparity through imaginative and sometimes unsettling narratives. Each story presents a unique world, inviting readers to reflect on the human condition and the unseen consequences of our actions.
Like a long winter's dream, this haunting and visionary new novel from 2024 Nobel Prize winner Han Kang takes us on a journey from contemporary South Korea into its painful history. Beginning one morning in December, We Do Not Part traces the path of Kyungha as she travels from the city of Seoul into the forests of Jeju Island, to the home of her old friend Inseon. Hospitalized following an accident, Inseon has begged Kyungha to hasten there to feed her beloved pet bird, who will otherwise die. Kyungha takes the first plane to Jeju, but a snowstorm hits the island the moment she arrives, plunging her into a world of white. Beset by icy wind and snow squalls, she wonders if she will arrive in time to...
A chilling feminist horror tale in which a troubled young woman exacts revenge on male customers at her plant shop, using their remains as fertiliser, for fans of Convenience Store Woman and My Sister the Serial Killer. The cult Korean psychological horror tale of a green-fingered serial killer. In the heart of a quiet town, a young woman tends to her plant shop, but beneath the surface of her lush, green sanctuary lies something far darker.... Every garden needs a little weeding... Tucked away in the corner of a neighbourhood in Dosan, South Korea, is the Plant Shop. Shop owner Yoohee has started anew, and her meticulously grown foliage thrives under her tender care. To both her customers and herself, the Plant Shop is a refuge, where petunias...
A heartwarming bestselling Korean novel about the power of books to heal, as a woman leaves her busy life in Seoul to open a bookshop café in the countryside where guests can stay overnight. Welcome to Soyangri Book Kitchen In a peaceful village in the countryside, far from the bustling heart of Seoul, lies a book lovers' paradise. With its wafts of delicious food and book-filled shelves, Soyangri Book Kitchen is dotingly managed by its plucky proprietor Yoojin. Her aim? To create a sanctuary for weary souls like herself. But the book kitchen is more than just a place to eat or read—it's a place which offers its guests a true escape, not just inside the pages of its many books, but in the warm embrace of an...
"Normality is the creepiest madness there is..." From the author of the bestselling literary sensations Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings comes a surprising and highly imaginative story set in a version of Japan where sex between married couples has vanished and all children are born by artificial insemination. Sayaka Murata has proven herself to be one of the most exciting chroniclers of the strangeness of society, x-raying our contemporary world to bizarre and troubling effect. Her depictions of a happily unmarried retail worker in Convenience Store Woman and a young woman convinced she is an alien in Earthlings have endeared her to millions of readers worldwide. Vanishing World takes Murata's universe to a bold new level, imagining an alternative Japan where attitudes to sex and procreation are wildly...
Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami is a profound exploration of womanhood, identity, and societal expectations in contemporary Japan. It follows Natsu, an aspiring writer, and her sister Makiko, who travels to Tokyo seeking breast enhancement. The narrative delves into themes of motherhood, personal choice, and the pursuit of individuality, offering an intimate and thought-provoking look at the lives of these modern Japanese women.
*THE HEARTWARMING KOREAN BESTSELLER**A new book from Shanna Tan, translator of Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop*Situated at the heart of a rapidly gentrifying district of Seoul, the Yeonnam-dong Smiley Laundromat is a place where the extraordinary stories of ordinary residents unfold. It is already a haven of tranquility and reflection for locals, but when someone leaves a notebook behind, the laundromat becomes a place that brings people together. One by one, customers start jotting down candid diary entries, opening their hearts and inviting acts of kindness from neighbours who were once just faces in the crowd. But there is more to the diary than first appears, and before long the laundromat's regulars are teaming up to solve a mystery and help the notebook's former owner find peace. A...
A woman settles in a remote Polish village. It has few inhabitants now, but it teems with the stories of its living and its dead. There’s the drunk Marek Marek, who discovers that he shares his body with a bird, and Franz Frost, whose nightmares come to him from a newly discovered planet. There’s the man whose death—with one leg on the Polish side, one on the Czech—was an international incident. And there are the Germans who still haunt a region that not long ago they called their own. From the founding of the town to the lives of its saints, these shards piece together not only a history but a cosmology. Another brilliant ‘constellation novel’ in the mode of her International Booker Prize–winning Flights, House of Day,...
All the Lovers in the Night by Mieko Kawakami is a poignant exploration of solitude and self-discovery in modern Tokyo. It revolves around Fuyuko, a woman living a secluded life, who embarks on a journey of intimacy and self-reflection after meeting individuals who challenge her perception of happiness and fulfilment. The narrative delicately examines themes of loneliness, personal growth, and the complexity of human relationships.
Boulder by Eva Baltasar delves into the life of a solitary woman who relishes freedom and independence. Her lifestyle is challenged when she falls in love with Samsa, a chef. Their relationship leads to a compromise and transformation as they try to reconcile their deeply individualistic tendencies with their intense connection. The narrative beautifully explores themes of love, desire, and personal autonomy.
The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez is a collection of intense and haunting stories that explore the darker sides of urban life in Buenos Aires. Filled with supernatural elements, these tales delve into themes of desire, repression, and the disturbing undercurrents lurking beneath everyday existence. The narratives combine gritty reality with ghostly spectres, creating a chilling yet mesmerizing reading experience.
