Lost Paradise

Author: Akizuki Junichi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
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 the lukewarm, loveless relationship with his own wife. The lack of love in their family marriages and the irresistible emotional temptations lead Rin and Hisashi into the of an "extramarital affair." Spiritual resonance and sensory pleasures make them reexamine 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, is forced to resign. Alienation from loved ones and the scorn of society push them into secret cohabitation—the one who eats the forbidden fruit is cast out of paradise. To return to paradise and live there forever, they embark on a journey from which there is no return, yet they exclaim, "Life is so wonderful!" 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 fervor. After its publication as a standalone book, Japanese readers flocked to read it. Adapted into a film and a television series, it became widely known, creating what is known as the "Paradise Lost phenomenon."