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Life Ceremony: Stories (MP3 CD)

Life Ceremony: Stories By Sayaka Murata, Eunice Wong (Read by), Pun Bandhu (Read by) Cover Image
By Sayaka Murata, Eunice Wong (Read by), Pun Bandhu (Read by)
$31.95
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July 2022 Indie Next List


“Think Kelly Link, Ottessa Moshfegh, and a pinch of surrealism. You’ll find surprises in each story, and Murata’s voice is unique and so fun to read (if you don’t mind dark humor and disturbing themes)! Weird and absolutely delightful!”
— Rachel Brewer, Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville, KY

Description


The long-awaited first short story-collection by the author of the cult sensation Convenience Store Woman, tales of weird love, heartfelt friendships, and the unsettling nature of human existence

With Life Ceremony, the incomparable Sayaka Murata is back with her first collection of short stories ever to be translated into English. In Japan, Murata is particularly admired for her short stories, which are sometimes sweet, sometimes shocking, and always imbued with an otherworldly imagination and uncanniness.

In these twelve stories, Murata mixes an unusual cocktail of humor and horror to portray both the loners and outcasts as well as turning the norms and traditions of society on their head to better question them. Whether the stories take place in modern-day Japan, the future, or an alternate reality is left to the reader's interpretation, as the characters often seem strange in their normality in a frighteningly abnormal world. In A First-Rate Material, Nana and Naoki are happily engaged, but Naoki can't stand the conventional use of deceased people's bodies for clothing, accessories, and furniture, and a disagreement around this threatens to derail their perfect wedding day. Lovers on the Breeze is told from the perspective of a curtain in a child's bedroom that jealously watches the young girl Naoko as she has her first kiss with a boy from her class and does its best to stop her. Eating the City explores the strange norms around food and foraging, while Hatchling closes the collection with an extraordinary depiction of the fractured personality of someone who tries too hard to fit in.

In these strange and wonderful stories of family and friendship, sex and intimacy, belonging and individuality, Murata asks above all what it means to be a human in our world and offers answers that surprise and linger.

Product Details
ISBN: 9798212188289
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: July 26th, 2022
Language: English