Description

‘The interlinking short stories in this collection are fairy tales in the best Brothers Grimm tradition: naif, magical and frequently veering into the macabre’ Financial Times

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

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 mighty, you’ll find strange delight in spending time with the people in this neighbourhood.

‘Offers a delicious combination of intrigue, magic and comedy, like an unusual but satisfying snack. Kawakami continues to show off her prowess as a sharp-witted writer with a keen eye for the unexplored mysteries of humanity’ Japan Times

Publisher Review

'Beguiling, with a strangeness that feels culturally rooted' - Sunday Times 'Deft and funny prose, in a feather-light translation by Ted Goossen, is the signature of Hiromi Kawakami's latest collection... an intriguing and compelling bitesize read... funny, full of heart' - Arts Desk 'Tempting as it is, People from My Neighbourhood is not a book to rush... The interlinking short stories in this collection are fairy tales in the best Brothers Grimm tradition: naif, magical and frequently veering into the macabre... in a world where much is insubstantial... Kawakami's clean narrative style is very much her own' - Financial Times