Lost Paradise

Author: Akizuki Junichi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-02
Features: The dignified and virtuous wife of a medical professor, Rin, meets a publisher's editor, Hisashi, at a social gathering. The workaholic husband's indifference toward Rin, Hisashi's career setbacks due to job changes, and his lukewarm, unemotional relationship with his wife. The loveless family marriage and irresistible emotional temptations lead Rin and Hisashi into the of an "extramarital affair." Spiritual resonance and sensory pleasures make them reevaluate the meaning of their lives. After a night of indulgence, Rin's husband retaliates with "no divorce," and Hisashi, plagued by anonymous letters and facing demotion, resigns. Alienation from loved ones and the scorn of society force them into secret cohabitation—the one who eats the forbidden fruit is cast out of paradise. To return to paradise and live there permanently, they embark on a journey of no return, yet they exclaim, "Life is so good!" This is a heart-stirring masterpiece that intertwines dreams and reality, spirit and flesh, joy and pain. The extraordinary psychological struggles and complex emotional entanglements are immersed in the magnificent seasonal changes of a foreign land, leaving readers deeply moved. When the novel was serialized in newspapers, it sparked unprecedented excitement. After its publication as a standalone book, Japanese readers flocked to read it. Adapted into a film and a television series with the same name, it became widely known, creating what is known as the "Paradise Lost phenomenon."