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People From My Neighbourhood

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( 12,408 ratings, 2,189 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami is a whimsical collection of interconnected vignettes set in a peculiar town filled with enigmatic characters and surreal events. Each story unveils quirky details about the townsfolk, blending magical realism with everyday life to explore themes of community and the extraordinary moments that define it. The narrative offers a charming, imaginative perspective on the unexpected bonds and peculiarities of small-town life.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy tales that blend the everyday with the surreal, offering an intriguing glimpse into the lives of eccentric characters in a familiar yet fantastical setting. The author beautifully captures the essence of community through a series of interconnected stories, each one sparking curiosity and offering a fresh perspective on the ordinary.

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From the best-selling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo, here is a collection of playful, delightful, delectable Japanese micro-fiction.

From the best-selling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo, here is a collection of playful, delightful, delectable Japanese micro-fiction

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Take a story and shrink it. Make it tiny, so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. Carry the story with you everywhere, let it sit with you while you eat, let it watch you while you sleep. Keep it safe, you never know when you might need it.

In Kawakami's super short palm of the hand stories the world is never quite as it should be: a small child lives under a sheet near his neighbour's house for thirty years; an apartment block leaves its visitors with strange afflictions, from fast-growing beards to an ability to channel the voices of the dead; an old man has two shadows, one docile, the other rebellious; two girls named Yoko are locked in a bitter rivalry to the death.

Small but great, you'll find great delight spending time with the people in this neighbourhood.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

People From My Neighbourhood by Hiromi Kawakami has been described as beguiling, with a strangeness that feels culturally rooted. The prose is noted for being deft and funny in a light translation, making it an intriguing, compelling, and humorous read. The interlinked short stories resemble fairy tales, offering magic and occasional macabre elements, while maintaining a clean and unique narrative style.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846276996

Publisher: Granta Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 August 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Granta Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by Ted Goossen

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 7.0mm

Width: 111.0mm

Height: 178.0mm

Weight: 75g

Pages: 96

About the Author

HIROMI KAWAKAMI is one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists, famous for her offbeat literary fiction. She was awarded the Akutagawa Prize in 1996 and her novel Strange Weather in Tokyo was shortlisted for both the Man Asian Prize and the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and has been translated into thirteen languages. She is also the author of The Nakano Thrift Shop and The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino.

Ted Goossen is Professor of Japanese Literature at York University in Toronto and has translated Haruki Murakami among others.

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