Description

In a very few, perfectly chosen words, Alejandra Kamiya conjures vast territories of shadow: all that we can never fully express.

As dawn breaks, a woman prepares to make a perfect breakfast for her husband and son, while a subtle note of disquiet grows louder. An isolated Japanese soldier obeys an inexplicable command, and his sense of identity begins to dissolve. Two girls discover themselves through electrically charged games, which they will recall in letters for the rest of their lives.

Set between Japan and Argentina, these entrancing stories of loss and exile circle around our deepest, most mysterious emotional truths, culminating in startling moments of revelation.

Publisher Review

An exquisite collection of short stories. Every sentence reads like poetry. The images are carefully drawn and quietly devastating. The characters have been rendered with such compassion and humanity. The stories will linger with you like waking dreams -- Jan Carson, author of 'The Raptures' Kamiya has a deceptively simple, starkly beautiful style of writing. In this riveting, beguiling, thoroughly unique collection, she somehow manages to blend big issues with quiet acts of daily devotion; to express a powerful nostalgia for the past as well as a universal anxiety for the future -- Sara Baume, author of 'Opening Night' Elegant and enigmatic... haunting... [The stories] shimmer with memories, secrets and disquieting feelings. The prose is as clear and cool as spring water, but under the surface there's a churn of emotion -- Eithne Farry * Daily Mail * Her work is recommended with sighs of admiration and she gives readings to packed halls... You should read Alejandra Kamiya at least once in your life... Her stories are a transformative experience... Kamiya makes simple what for others is impossible to express * Clarin * She has a style all of her own, stripped-down and powerful, serene and surprising... Kamiya's stories are now an essential part of contemporary Argentine literature * Pagina 12 * Her name has occupied a privileged position in Argentine literature for several years: booksellers and readers spread her work like they're on a mission * infobae *