Strange Weather in Tokyo

Tsukiko, a woman in her late 30s, lives a lonely life in Tokyo, working too hard, drinking too much and unable to connect with people. She drinks at a bar called Saturo's and sometimes her old high school teacher, retired and in his 70s, drinks there. They talk, drink sake and she calls him Sensei. There is no set pattern to their encounters, weeks can go by without meeting, but when they do it's like picking up where they left off. Slowly Tsukiko forms an emotional attachment to this older man.

Kawakami's unhurried novel of loneliness and blossoming intimacy between two loners is touching and humorous. Sensei is all wisdom and stoicism, Tsukiko is afraid of her own feelings, insecure and childlike. It's the kind of novel where not much happens and yet everything happens. Small snapshots of their lives - a mushroom hunting trip; a Cherry Tree party at Tsukiko's old high school; an island trip, sees Tsukiko alternately run away from and embrace her feelings. Beautifully translated from the original Japanese, this is a novel about finding happiness and love, a May to December romance that is ultimately moving and heartbreaking.

Excellent.