Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025, this novel is set in the far future, over many generations. It’s very ambitious compared to the previous books I’ve read by this author, The Nakano Thrift Shop and Dragon Palace.

The novel is composed of many scenes, or short stories, which are connected in some way. At first, I found it a disjointed read and it was difficult to remember who the characters were, when some of them returned in later scenes. In one setting, the people were all numbers, which was even more difficult. The explanation of neural networks, towards the end of the book, was tough to get through. Most of the narrators had childlike voices, even when they were adults, so that was unnerving and probably explains the lack of fine detail. I had little idea of what anyone or anything looked like, except for people dressed in white robes. However, despite these challenges I had when reading the book, as the chapters continued, the insanely epic human story emerged, to a mind-blowing conclusion. I kept thinking about the book after I’d finished it. I didn’t love it, but I found it impressive. I would have preferred a more connected narrative, or maybe the short stories to be fewer, but longer with more detail. It’s one of those books where, as soon as you reach the ending, what you read at the beginning makes more sense. I wasn’t tempted to start reading it again, though. A great achievement from Hiromi Kawakami and of course the translator Asa Yoneda.

First published in 2016. English edition published by Granta, 2025.