Booker Prize Shortlisted Author, Works Sold in 40 Countries and Languages
Mieko Kawakami – A Must-Read Weighty Long Novel
A Captivating and Heartbreaking Noir Novel
Witness how women at the bottom of Japanese society cooperate to survive in a cruel and malicious world
And precariously face the imminent moment of destruction…
"Mieko Kawakami has become a feminist beacon in Japan, her literature more rationally enlightening than poetic. ... Regarding the genesis of 'Yellow House,' Kawakami said, 'I really wanted to explore what 'Breaking Bad' would be like if it wasn't such a macho show.'"
— The New York Times
"Mieko Kawakami, with the brushstrokes of film noir, depicts an extraordinary story of women experiencing the depths of despair... As the plot takes a sharp turn, ultimately revealing a chilling truth, Kawakami skillfully builds suspense... This gripping, fast-paced novel clearly shows her writing has reached new heights."
— Publishers Weekly
In the summer of that year, at seventeen, three runaway girls gathered in this "Yellow House" in Tokyo, living with Kumiko, who was about twenty years older than them. Minors or runaways, they couldn't work normally or rent apartments, but they jointly operated a small bar and accumulated wealth in their own way, as if they had built a new family of their own.
Yellow, in Eastern feng shui, symbolizes positive meanings such as wealth, nobility, and happiness. These women, who relied on each other, deeply believed in the power of colors, filling their entryway with yellow lucky charms. Later, when their luck ran out, they even frantically painted the walls of their home yellow... But did any of this truly matter?
The story is set in 1998, a turbulent period in Japan: the bubble economy had burst, the market was in chaos; the 1995 Kansai earthquake, and the Aum Shinrikyo cult's deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway; irregular employment became prevalent in society, offering these girls at the bottom a chance to survive by navigating the fringes of the law with their own abilities. The girls' solidarity and subsequent falling out illustrate how intimate bonds, born of poverty and helplessness, can deteriorate under the pressures of reality. The novel shatters the illusion beneath the neon lights of the bustling city, allowing us a glimpse into the stories of these women hidden in the shadows of society and money.
As critic Amiko Enami says: "Witness how brave yet innocent young flowers struggle to survive in an increasingly empty world, gradually developing resilient characters, only to quickly forget their past. Readers will find themselves unable to smile at her, nor to dismiss her. With astonishing realism, Kawakami not only exposes the long-neglected dark side of Japanese society but also demonstrates the universal human need to survive under specific circumstances. 'Yellow House,' with its captivating narrative and fluid, easy-to-read prose, firmly grips the reader's heart and raises these fundamental questions."
