A Perfect Day to be Alone is a very charming novella, perfectly carving out its quiet coming of age tale.

Our main character, Chizu, moves in with a distant older relative, Ginko, after her mother moves to China. She has no interest in going to university, has an unsatisfactory relationship, and feels a bit aimless. Ginko has housed many young people in the past, in her little Tokoyo based home, and is no stranger to stray twenty-somethings.

We watch as the months pass by, as Chizu tries to carve out her place in the world, communicates with her aging house mate, and takes on a variety of jobs.

It’s short, quaint, and inviting. It really swept me away to this little Japanese house situated behind a train station. The depth of the setting truly shines in this book - it’s written, and translated, so well. I could picture everything so perfectly, it was almost a shock to lift my head away from the page to realise I wasn’t curled up by the kotatsu, with Chizu and Ginko, myself.

Even though Chizu can be quite short and abrupt, it didn’t take away from the charm, instead solidifying the reality of how it feels when you’re feeling quite lost in life and unsure of everything. It’s highly introspective, and we truly get an understanding of how she’s feeling throughout this time in her life.

It’s a pleasant, if slightly unconventional, slice of life, and the perfect book to pick up if you’re after a little literary escape.

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

A contemplative and somewhat melancholy short novel moving through the seasons and telling the story of a 20-year-old Chizu moving in with a 71-year-old Ginko (and her cats) in Tokyo. Chizu’s observations are often pessimistic and even cruel, but her experiences of moving from home to a new city, falling in and out of relationships, and finding her small place in the adult world are very relatable. The translation from Japanese was done very well, retaining the beauty in the writing. The strange fondness that grows between Chitzu and Ginko was moving and overall a wonderful little read.

This is a very interesting and captivating short book which I enjoyed reading very much.
It’s a nice pallet cleanser in between fast, high action thrillers and cheese romance novels.
The slow pace and the uncluttered sentences create a gentle story about a young woman entering adulthood.

If you want a cute and wholesome literary fiction you should read this! It was sweet and short but definitely worth reading.

The writing in this was so beautiful and elegant and really made you feel for the main character. It delves into a lot of family relationships and dynamics which I liked and really makes you think and reflect on your own life.

Give it a go if this sounds like it’s for you, but it’s definitely an acquired taste.

#aperfectdaytobealone by #nanaeaoyama translated by #jessekirkwood out 9th May in the UK. Thanks to @netgalley #netgalley for this #arc

A short and beautifully written story, if you liked #conveniencestorewoman by @sayaka_murata_, this is of a similar dry and to the point narrative. That said, this book is really moving and rich in terms of detail.

I don't want to add the synopsis or say much more, I would just invite you to read it, you will love it. I hope we have more translations from this author ASAP, she is super talented! As is the translator!

#honnomushi100 #reading #japanesefiction #japaneseliterature #japanesetranslatedfiction #books #books2022 #translatedfiction #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #translatedjapaneseliterature #booksfromjapan #japaneselit #JAPANESEAUTHORS #translatedjapaneseliterature

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with an arc to this book. This was absolutely a must-read for me, based on the title and the cover purely, and I'm happy to report that I loved it. 5 stars on GR, closer to a 4.5 or 4.75 in reality.

The prose in this book is just so well crafted, and despite her eccentricities and awkwardness, often coming across as a downright bitch, our main character Chizu I found to be very relatable and understandable. She's clearly in her early 20s trying to figure out many things about herself and place in life, but the relationship with her distant relative Ginko, their dynamics, and the charming exchanges they have form the true heart of this tale.

While I enjoyed Chizu and her relationship with Ginko, the best parts of the book to me were the explorations of Chizu's frayed relationship with her mother, as well as her takes on past and current relationships with partners as well as people in larger society. Between that and the truly stellar writing, I loved this book a lot.

I could see why people would not enjoy this book, but I often felt that the text here was warm, quiet, inviting, and exceedingly beautiful. If you enjoy pure vibes in a literary fiction then I think this could work for you as well.

A brief glimpse into the world of a Japanese woman in her early 20s moving to Tokyo to live with an elderly distant relative, trying to place herself in life, and define what she actually means. The story is an intimate view of relationships between mother and daughter, a young woman and her elderly landlord, two elderly people in a languid affair, people in their 20s looking for affection, and, perhaps the most important relationship of all, that between the protagonist and herself.

The story spans a bit over a year, and sees our protagonist mature through a series of events and relationships that gradually help her realise the futility of the search she felt she had to be on, and start accepting who she is and who is not. There is really no complex meta-plot, emotive scenes, or thought provoking dialogues. It's indeed all about scenes from daily life.

Overall, I am lukewarm towards it. It was a nice experience (also due to its brevity, which kept it from being boring), and an interesting window into the nihilism that can sometimes overwhelm young people, especially, apparently, in contemporary Japan. There is a pervasive sense of loneliness and dejection that dominates the story, and it is worth reading to understand people who find themselves in these circumstances. That being said, I found the premise to be underexplored, and the story to be rather bland. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's like drinking room temperature tea - you know it would taste better if it were hot and freshly brewed.

I might recommend it to those looking to better understand Gen Z and Gen A, especially in Japan. That being said, there just isn't enough here to warrant spending the time.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this book in return for an honest review.

I quite enjoyed this book. The main character Chizu is in her early twenties. She is sent to live with an aged, distant relative, Ginko, in Tokyo after her mother moves to China for work.

Told from a a first person perspective, the writing brings out Chizu's quirky personality traits: she is an oddball trying to navigate life without much motivation. Her conversations and interactions with Ginko are interesting and add development to both characters. They spend time together through the varying seasons of a year.

A Perfect Day to Be Alone is one of those slice of life books that will keep you invested.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my free digital ARC! Japanese literature almost always hits the spot for me, so I was disappointed that this one left me underwhelmed. It’s a short book, almost a novella, spanning four seasons and chronicling 20-year-old Chizu’s move to Tokyo from a small town. She moves in with a distant family friend, 70-year-old Ginko, and the pair strike up an uneasy alliance. Chizu is a difficult character to root for. I’m usually all in for a character bumbling through their twenties, not knowing what it is they want or even who they are yet, but lord she was tough to like. She was often unnecessarily rude to Ginko as well, like hello this lady is letting you live in her house for a pittance?! Not particularly memorable I’m afraid, though the translation by Jesse Kirkwood was smooth as butter.

I picked up this book based on its title. It's so intriguing before you even read the first sentence!

This is a quirky fast read that explores the relationship between Chizu (aged twenty) and Ginko (aged seventy-one) when they live together
after Chizu's mother moves to China to work. Chizu is not always likeable particularly in relation to her behaviour towards Ginko, and her tolerance for the older woman's eccentricities. Yet I found this interesting as it demonstrated how easily older people and their experiences can be dismissed but in some ways Chizu's behaviours and spitefulness were triggered by a realisation that Ginko seemed to be having a better life than she was. It explores themes of loneliness and trying to find your place in the world and navigating love and disappointment.

I found it a melancholic read and was quite disappointed when it came to end. I'd like to have continued on the journey with both characters to find out if Chizu found some purpose and meaning and if she reconnected with Ginko in the future.

3.5 / 5 stars

A short, yet somewhat relatable story of a 20 year old woman who moves to the city and witnesses life unfolding before her. This takes place across a year in Japan, with the book divided into four seasonal sections; Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

I quite enjoyed this! I found it a little slow to start, but when summer rolled around I was engaged. The translation was great, however I did spot a grammatical error at one point (just my eagle eye for this stuff!). This was a super quick read, only about 150 pages, and I would recommend this if you need a short pick-me-up book or are trying to get out of a reading slump. This is a little gem of a book, and if I ever come across a physical copy, I will be purchasing.

Also the title? Love it.

I just wanted to share one of my favourite segments I read;

" I'd have liked to stay young, to lead a quiet life sheltered from all the drama of the world. But it seemed that wasn't an option. I was braced for my fair share of hardship. I wanted to try being an ordinary person, living an ordinary life. I wanted to become as thick-skinned as possible, to turn myself into someone who could survive anything.
I didn't know what dreams I was supposed to have for the future, or what people meant when they talked about meeting the love of their life. But those were the kind of things I found myself vaguely longing for. "

HELLOOOOO??? I absolutely love this. So very relatable.

thank you to Quercus Books & NetGalley for the arc, appreciated as always! All opinions are my own :)

Chizu and Ginko have a special relationship, and as Chizu becomes an adult Ginko gets older and somehow the two lives seem to resemble each other despite the 50-year difference between the two women. A sparse language devoid of any drive, where even the feelings are muffled despite the fact that at times the characters themselves speak of passion, difficult to perceive though. A story set in contemporary Japan that presents us with two female characters with all their fragility and loneliness.

Chizu e Ginko hanno una relazione speciale e, mentre Chizu diventa grande Ginko diventa vecchia ed in qualche modo le due vite sembrano assomigliarsi nonostante i 50 anni di differenza tra le due donne. Un linguaggio scarno e privo di qualsiasi pulsione, anche i sentimenti sono ovattati nonostante a volte gli stessi personaggi parlino di passione, difficile da percepire peró. Una storia ambientata nel Giappone contemporaneo che ci propone due personaggi femminili con tutta la loro fragilità e la loro solitudine.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

A nice translated fiction which brings the story of why old and young can work in harmony. The importance of not being tossed to the side just based on age. A nice short read for those in a slump and looking for the story of self discovery

Even though is a short book, it felt too long. Lots of negativity too. Ginko's character was very nice, in comparison with Chizu who I couldn't stand throughout this story. Also, the story in itself didn't sa anything to me, to be honest. Translation is really good, though!

Chizu's mum is off to China for a teaching gig, so she leaves her daughter with Ginko who's an elderly lady (lives with her cats) and is a family friend/distant relative. At first things seem awkward and Chizu tries to find her feet, at 20 she's decided to drop studying And get a job (or two) to become independent. After a fresh breakup she meets Fujima who works at the same station she does, as their relationship progresses, she feels resentment and bitter towards life in general. She hasn't been able to secure a stable relationship with anyone, she feels everyone around just leaves her. She starts to question her self worth and her life. Spanning across an entire year, we follow Chizu as she navigates her way through what we call life, and questions certain aspects, from love to what's the point of living.

Honestly I was so disappointed with this read. I found Chizo to be morbid, rude, and it's like she's always moaning about something, She's very negative. Her perspective of life is such. She can't seem to see anyone be happy around her If she's not feeling happy and content with her own life and she's always making digs at Ginko, for no apparent reason. It's just toxic behavior. Ginko is such a lovely character though, All throughout the time Chizu is with her, she just wants to help her, and Chizu does nothing to better herself or find out more about Ginko's life. Personally, I felt like there wasn't anything extraordinary about this story, and I couldn't really connect with Chizu, it also seemed to go on a bit, I'm sure it could have been an even shorter read. Won't lie, I feel as if I have to read something a bit more 'happy' after reading this and it just didn't sit well with me, which is so unfortunate. On a positive note: the end 15% was the best part of the book.

As Chizu's mother is moving to China for work, she opts to move to Tokyo, where she moves in with Ginko, a distant relative in her 70s that she has never met before.

This was such a quick, interesting read. I really enjoyed the writing, the translation flowed pretty easily and it was a fun way to pass a morning. It felt claustrophobic in the best way possible, giving such a relatable portray of what being in your 20s and trying to navigate through life can feel like. I really loved the most genuine interactions between Chizu and Ginko, and I felt like they added such an interesting, somewhat heartwarming layer to the story. To its core, it's a glimpse into a year of someone's life as they try to make sense of it all, and I absolutely loved that.

Many many thanks to Quercus Books & Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Chizu’s mother is moving to China to work. At 21 Chizu is old enough to choose not to go with her, she wants to move to Tokyo. She moves in with Ginko, a distant relative in her 70s that she hasn’t met.

This is a story about a year in Chizu’s life, where she lives with the elderly Ginko and nothing much really happens. It’s a reflection of life, Chizu works part time jobs, has relationships and is flawed. It’s got a claustrophobic feeling to it, it’s well written (and translated from the original Japanese) and reflects the minutiae of life. That feeling of not knowing what you want to do, the feeling of not fitting in. But did I enjoy it? Sort of, it’s a different kind of book than I’d normally read.

Short and sweet, this book chronicles a year through the 4 seasons, of Chizu’s first year in Tokyo. She moves in with Ginko, a woman in her 70s who is indifferent to her at first. Although nothing actually happens in the book, it’s written in a way that feels perfectly stifling and claustrophobic, which I think captures being in your early 20s in the most authentic way. I saw a lot of myself in Chizu and her struggles with the world and I particularly enjoyed hers and Ginko’s more sincere interactions.

A Perfect Day to be Alone by Nanae Aoyama blew me away utterly and completely. I really enjoy translated fiction as it opens up the opportunity to hear global voices and provides a deeper insight into different cultures. I have travelled extensively so enjoy these voices greatly

The publisher would like the full review closer to the release date of 9 May 2024 so for now, let me just say, bravo, absolutely outstanding

Thank you to Netgalley, Quercus Books, MacLehose Press and the author Nanae Aoyama for this outstanding ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

A Perfect Day to be Alone is a read that is interesting as a psychological study of the main character and her experiences moving to the big city, looking for something from life without really knowing what she seeks. However, it also follows one of the trends of contemporary Japanese literature in that not a lot happens. If you are looking for a book with a deep and winding plot, this is not for you, but I would recommend it to readers who enjoy more introspective works as it offers a thoughtful portrayal of the transition into adulthood. I am giving it 4 stars.

(My review will go live on my blog and on Goodreads (at the links below) and social media on 29 April 2024, as per your preference to hold reviews until 3 weeks prior to release date.)