When the Museum is Closed

A hilarious, feminist read from a new star in Japanese fiction. <BR><BR>For the sake of women everywhere, Ms Shibata is going to pull off the mother of all deceptions. <BR><BR>One day at work, Ms Shibata refuses to clear away the coffee cups, because she is pregnant, and cannot bear the smell. The only thing is, Ms Shibata is not pregnant. <BR><BR>At first, the lie offers her freedom. But being a mother-to-be is not easy. Ms Shibata has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app tracking every stage of her imagined baby's development, the boundary between deception and reality begins to dissolve. <BR><BR>Diary of a Void is a prizewinning Japanese novel about workplace sexism, gender roles and loneliness. Hilarious and unsettling, it is a subversive feminist novel about what happens when a lie takes on a life of its own. <BR><BR>Translated from the Japanese by David Boyd and Lucy North <BR><BR>'Incredibly thought-provoking... you'll love Yagi's writing' STYLIST <BR><BR>'A subversive, surreal read that will strike a cord' RED <BR><BR>'One of the most passionate cases I've ever read for female interiority, for women's creative pulse and rich inner life' NEW YORKER

A joyful queer love story from the author of Japanese cult hit DIARY OF A VOID<BR><BR>There she stood. A goddess. I was in love with the marble goddess.<BR><BR>When Rika Horauchi accepts an unusual new part-time job, she never expects to fall in love.<BR><BR>Rika has been tasked with talking to Venus, to keep her company when the museum is closed on Mondays. As Venus comes to life in the quiet of their surroundings, she opens up new worlds for Rika, and they speak about everything. But when the museum's curator, Hashibami, makes it clear he wants to keep Venus for himself, what will Rika do?<BR><BR>When the Museum is Closed is by turns charming, funny and surprising, a love story about our perceptions of beauty, overcoming loneliness and breaking free.<BR><BR>Translated by Yuki Tejima<BR><BR>READERS LOVE WHEN THE MUSEUM IS CLOSED:<BR><BR>'I quickly became addicted'<BR>'Lyrical and enchanting'<BR>'Filled with comedy, yet it constantly makes the reader question societal norms'<BR>'Unlike anything I've ever read'<BR>'Effortlessly blends the everyday with the fantastical'<BR>'Fun, charming... if you've ever struggled with self-doubt, anxiety or just feeling like you don't quite belong you'll relate to and enjoy'

Frau Shibatas geniale Idee ist eine kluge, moderne und feministische Antwort auf tief verankerte patriarchalische Strukturen in der japanischen Gesellschaft - und zugleich ein fulminantes Lesevergnügen! Frau Shibata ist vierunddreißig und arbeitet als Angestellte in einer Firma in Tokyo, in der Männer das Sagen haben. Ständig wird sie herumgeschubst, schlecht behandelt und soll Kaffee kochen. Doch dann hat sie eine geniale Idee: Sie behauptet, schwanger zu sein - und plötzlich wird sie rücksichtsvoll behandelt. Doch wie weit lässt sich dieses Spiel treiben? Frau Shibata geht aufs Ganze, stopft sich die Kleidung aus und ,erlebt' die gesamte Schwangerschaft. Bis schließlich unausweichlich der Moment der Wahrheit naht - und die sieht anders aus, als gedacht .