The following is an excerpt from A Perfect Day to be Alone by Nanae Aoyama. It was translated from Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood. Aoyama has won numerous literary prizes in Japan, including the Akutagawa Prize, the Bungei Prize and the Kawabata Yasunari Literary Prize. Kirkwood has been awarded Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize.
A Perfect Day to Be Alone is a coming-of-age story about 20-year-old Chizu, who moves in with her eccentric 71-year-old relative, Ginko, after her mother emigrates to China, forming a fragile bond in a cluttered Tokyo home. Through mundane jobs, fleeting relationships, and the passage of seasons, Chizu gradually embraces solitude, forging a fierce sense of independence. It is now available for purchase in bookstores everywhere.
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