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Set My Heart on Fire

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( 1,334 ratings, 292 reviews)
Brief Description
A young woman named Izumi details her turbulent twenties in thirteen disarmingly candid vignettes, set in the underground bar and club scene of 1970s Tokyo. Seamlessly delivering ennui alongside snark, and tragedy nose-to-nose with apathy, Set My Heart on Fire is a singular representation of young... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3999
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The first novel from Izumi Suzuki to be published in English: a candid, intimate exploration of passion, music and transgression

The long-awaited publication of Izumi Suzuki's debut novel

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

A young woman named Izumi details her turbulent twenties in thirteen disarmingly candid vignettes, set in the underground bar and club scene of 1970s Tokyo.

Seamlessly delivering ennui alongside snark, and tragedy nose-to-nose with apathy, Set My Heart on Fire is a singular representation of young womanhood, missteps and miscommunication, and music, men, and meds. With chapters titled for tracks by The Zombies, The Supremes, and the Rolling Stones, as well as songs by underground Japanese bands of the time, the music of the 1960s and 1970s permeates the story.

There are distinct traces of the fraught tenderness in Marguerite Duras's The Lover, and the raw, decadent post-war generational dissolution of Ryu Murakami’s Almost Transparent Blue. But Suzuki’s novel is carried by her own singular charm and wit, which will be readily recognised and adored by readers of her short stories.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781804293300

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 12 November 2024

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Contributors:

  • Translated by Helen O'Horan

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 159g

Pages: 192

About the Author

Izumi Suzuki (1949–1986) was a countercultural icon and a pioneer of Japanese science fiction. She worked as a keypunch operator before finding fame as a model and actress, but it was her writing that secured her reputation. She took her own life at the age of thirty-six.

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