i’ve been reading a bit of literary fiction recently, specifically Japanese literature, and i’ve really enjoyed it so far. Since i’ve only read a small amount, i’m open to anything, whether it’s a slice of life type style or it delves into deeper topics, any is up for consideration. If anyone could give me some more recommendations, i would greatly appreciate it! 🙏🏻
(it also doesn’t have to be just Japanese literature though that’s just what i’ve been reading atm)
here’s the books i’ve read so far:
– Heaven by Mieko Kawakami
– The restaurant of lost recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai
by seabass_03
14 Comments
You have not read Akutagawa’s stories yet — these are a must.
I enjoy Haruki Murakami. However, he’s very literary, most of his novels are lengthy and very detailed. He often goes off on tangents but any are worth a read.
I’ve been on a big Japanese literature kick and loved all of it.
I just finished:
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
Klara and the Sun by Kazou Ishiguro
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Donna Tartt (author)
The Aosawa Murders and The Memory Police
Also, I find Spanish authors to have similar styles somehow to Japanese writing style. Give Jose Saramago or Javier Marias a try
If you’re open to very long books, I recommend [The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard. It’s a beautifully written slice of life book about the personal secretary to the emperor of the world, with a heavy focus on platonic relationships.
Ruth Ozeki, Murakami, Sayaka Murata, (all very different)
Toni Morrison, Ursula k Le Guin, Cormac McCarthy, Salinger, Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood are all classics for good reason. Also love Vonnegut.
Convenience store woman
Confessions by Kanye Minato
These are my favorites:
– The Travelling Cat Chronicles
– The Miracles of the Namiya General Store
– The Lantern of Lost Memories
– Lonely Castle in the Mirror
– What You Are Looking For Is in the Library
Murakami!
Kafka on the Shore
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Norwegian Wood
Banana Yoshimoto
Must admit i know very little about Japanese literature, sorry, but if you feel like reading some Irish literary fiction i highly recommend Sebastian Barry. I’d suggest starting with The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty. It’s technically book 1 of a saga about two families but they don’t really happen in any kind of order so it doesn’t matter what order you read them in.
I see someone else has already recommended Ursula Le Guin and i’d second that – she’s my other favourite author. It’s hard to know which one to recommend you start with. The first one i read was The Dispossessed (of course, lol) but even if you don’t enjoy that one her stuff is varied enough that it’d be worth trying again with a different one (Lavinia tends to be the one i recommend to friends).
You have a lot of good suggestions here, I second Banana Yoshimoto especially. I quite like Minae Mizumura as well.
You might enjoy Ali Smith! A lot of her work is a bit surreal and vibey but definitely interesting. Her most recent books are the Seasons quartet (slice of lifes about post-Brexit UK) but her earlier stuff (The Accidental, There but for the, Girl Meets Boy) is wonderful too.
“Musashi” by Eiji Yoshikawa is a must read. Look at the description on Amazon.