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Author: (Japanese) Watanabe Junichi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-11-01
Features: This book is neither a clichéd story of middle-aged romance nor a classical ode to love above all. It delves into the thought-provoking nuances of modern urban culture in Japan. At the age of 53, Akihabara is a divorced freelance writer who meets Shizuko, a simple and honest bartender, in a bar and takes her as his mistress. He abandons his former lover and aims to cultivate Shizuko into a refined new companion, even considering marrying her. When Shizuko transforms and becomes increasingly impressive, he secretly leaves her. The book meticulously portrays the complex emotions of middle-aged white-collar workers chasing younger women, and is hailed by Japanese readers as an "immortal masterpiece that represents Watanabe's literature."