STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO PB – HIROMI KAWAKAMI-ALLISON MARKIN POWELL

A tale of modern Japan and old-fashioned romance. Enchanting, moving and funny in equal measure, this compelling love story is expertly crafted against a backdrop of modern Japanese culture Stylist Tsukiko is in her late 30s and living alone when one night she happens to meet one of her former high school teachers, Sensei , in a bar. He is at least thirty years her senior, retired and, she presumes, a widower. After this initial encounter, the pair continue to meet occasionally to share food and drink sake, and as the seasons pass – from spring cherry blossom to autumnal mushrooms – Tsukiko and Sensei come to develop a hesitant intimacy which tilts awkwardly and poignantly into love. Strange Weather in Tokyo is perfectly constructed, warmly funny and deeply moving. This edition contains the bonus story, Parade , which imagines an ordinary day in the lives of this unusual couple. A dream-like spell of a novel, full of humour, sadness, warmth and tremendous subtlety. I read this in one sitting and I think it will haunt me for a long time Amy Sackville Kawakami transforms an affecting cross-generational romance into an exquisite poem of time and mutability… Delicate and haunting Independent