SUMMARY

From the bestselling author of Breasts and Eggs and international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami, a sharp and illuminating novel about the impact of violence and the power of solidarity in our contemporary societies.

“Kawakami is a writer who doesn’t shy away from hard truths and painful experiences,” wrote the Japan Times. Told simply and directly but containing astonishing emotional depth, Heaven explores the meaning and experience of violence and the consolations of friendship. Bullied because of his lazy eye, Kawakami’s protagonist suffers in silence. His only respite comes thanks to his friendship with a girl who is also the victim of relentless teasing. But what is the nature of a friendship if your shared bond is terror?

Unflinching yet tender, sharply observed, intimate and multi-layered, Heaven is yet another dazzling testament to Kawakami’s uncontainable talent. A frank and brilliantly evocative writer who is “ceaselessly growing and evolving,” according to Haruki Murakami, Kawakami is, for The Economist, “Japan’s brightest new literary star.”