Michael Emmerich Knihy

Accompanying CD-ROM contains audio narrations of the stories.

The Lake showcases Banana Yoshimoto's signature vivid characters and nuanced prose while delving into darker themes. It follows a young woman in Tokyo who, after her mother's death, develops a romance with a man haunted by childhood trauma linked to a bizarre cult. Their journey leads to hope and healing by a serene lake.

Kei, who was left alone to raise her daughter after her husband disappeared twelve years ago, finds herself drawn to the seaside town of Manazuru, a place where she tries to unlock memories from her past.

Kazama Tsuneo, a Tokyo immigration officer, grapples with his 'normal' life after a past event. His struggles intensify when he hears a mysterious woman's voice trying to reach him, prompting him to pursue her and uncover the truth behind the incident from eight years ago.

A dual-language edition of Japanese stories—many appearing in English for the first time This volume of eight short stories, with parallel translations, offers students at all levels the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of contemporary literature without having constantly to refer back to a dictionary. The stories—many of which appear here in English for the first time—are by well-known writers like Haruki Murakami and Banana Yoshimoto, as well as emerging voices like Abe Kazushige, Ishii Shinji, and Kawakami Hiromi. From the orthodox to the cutting-edge, they represent a range of styles and themes, showcasing the diversity of Japanese fiction over the past few decades in a collection that is equally rewarding for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students of English or Japanese. Complete with notes, the stories make excellent reading in either language.