Outsider

by Jade Du Preez

Tokyo, 2017
Weeks from a birthday that will see her older than her mother ever was, Antoinette seeks two One—how to explain her Master’s thesis on light as memory. And two—was her mother’s death an accident or a suicide? Then a long-lost pen-pal returns to her life, propelling her closer to the truth. Kyou, the top star of a gender-bending nabe bar, would sooner die than move into management. She needs an out, she needs cash and, most importantly, she needs an identity. As an unregistered mukoseki, she is a legal anomaly. Officially, Kyou doesn’t exist. Their searches for identity intertwine with the lives of a video-game obsessed businessman and a writer who refuses to speak. Across Japan and down to New Zealand, from neon-lit alleys to tiny islands, their journey towards the truth is as tangled as their pasts. Fact and fable blur together in a rich tapestry that ultimately explores what it is to be human. For fans of Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being and Ali Smith's How to be Both , Jade du Preez's Outsider is a rich, stylish, engrossing read that convincingly blurs the boundaries between fact and fable.

388 pages, Paperback

Published February 6, 2024

Reviews

[Jude Silberfeld-Grimaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depending on how you’re doing, this impressive debut novel may be captivating, cathartic, or terrifying. Or a mix of all that, as it was for me.

Antoinette—Ana—Kutsuki is the daughter of a hideously rich Japanese businessman and a French Canadian ski instructor, whose death in New Zealand when Ana was a child is still very much weighing on her now twenty-seven-year-old daughter. Torn between two worlds, never feeling like she belongs, Ana is the epitome of the tortured artist, depressed yet sensing artistic possibilities in everything. Despite her wealth, despite being in a position to explore her art and let her talents flourish, despite the obvious love of her childhood friend become husband, her life feels incomplete, seldom worth living.

Ana’s character could have come across as self-indulgent. Excellent writing makes her relatable instead. And when she meets the star of a Tokyoite gender bending host bar, the volatile equilibrium slowly shatters as a nagging sense of déjà vu settles over her.

I rarely include content warnings in my reviews but since I’m wholeheartedly recommending this book, readers should be aware that it touches on topics such as suicidal thoughts, grief, death of a parent, depression… These and other important and challenging issues are also what make this story so good. One of the most complex and compelling aspects is the fact that Kyou is unregistered and as such, virtually nonexistent. Because of that, she’s stuck in the only job she could get, has no access to healthcare, no bank account, no passport, etc.

The title, Outsider, applies to Ana and Kyou both, the former as a biracial, tormented artist, the latter by law. Both outsiders in their own lives, in completely different ways, through opposite circumstances. While their story could fall under the opposites attract trope, it’s this shared condition that seems to bring them together.

The imbalance of power between Ana and Kyou is colossal but not always where it’s expected. The story is also told through the point of view of two other characters: John, Ana’s Australian husband who tries to forget his feelings of inadequacy through video games, and Miu, Kyou’s mother, who stopped talking some thirty years ago and lives on an island inspired by Naoshima, a fishermen village turned art gallery.

Outsider is a demanding book. It’s slow-paced, it’s sombre, it’s also dizzying at times. I don’t know if I would have made time to read it if not for Moni Henni Günther, as an admin of the Southern Cross Sapphic Readers and Authors group on Facebook, bringing to my attention that March is New Zealand Book Month, but I’m very grateful I did. I’m pretty sure it will stay on my mind for a long time while I examine what it means to exist—as a person and in a society—to love, to create.

Video review: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG3PO7...

I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my website (and please get your books from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

(rounded up from 4.75)

Back again with another general sapphic fiction rec: a deeply moving story of a stateless agender Japanese person and a half-Japanese, deeply depressed artist and how their lives intertwine.

I love reading romance books because they're like light food: quick, easy, fun, and easily digested. However, now and then I enjoy reading a rich, sad, story about characters who are struggling with life as a queer person or just life in general and this is one of my favourites this year.

This book has a really engaging take on the idea of a cross-dressing host club, where one of our main characters, Kyou aka Kai charms rich women who are looking for a fairy tale and a romance. Very much "I'll be the prince and you'll be my princess" dreams but safe because most of the women are actually just straight and enjoy the fantasy before they go back to their husbands. Kyou is a stateless person and therefore has no legal rights but is the star of this host club as Kai, the dashing, magnetic, host at this establishment.

Antoinette is Japanese on her father's (a powerful and rich businessman) side and lost her mother when she was very young. She's about to pass the age when her mother died and is deeply depressed and seeks meaning through art and soulless gifts thrown at her by her father and a doting best friend she calls her husband. She is dragged to this cross-dressing club for fun by her sister-in-law and feels that the charming and debonair Kai is oddly familiar to her from her part.

This is a book filled with sadness and people trying to figure out life and deal with their trauma. After a slower start, I gave it a chance and could hardly put it down after, especially during the last 100 or so pages. With complex themes of identity, statehood, class, late-in-life queer awakenings, projecting a blank canvas for others to project onto in order to survive and make money, and parenthood, this is an incredible book and I would highly recommend it.

[BookBoundKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story. I've never read anything quite like it. It was slow to start but I loved how the stories were all interwoven. I couldn't put it down for the last 100 pages. All of the characters were flawed and I cared for each one and I speed through the end to find out where they would all land. I'll absolutely read more by Jade Du Preez. Thanks for sending me the ARC Edina Publishers.

A couple of quotes I loved whilst reading;
"[He] contemplated the impossibility of love. It was the toughest job in the world. Not to be in love - that just happened - buy the demands of it. Love required loyalty, determination in the face of indifference, honour, valour, fortitude."
"Love surpass time and space. How incomprehensible, how marvellous, to be a participant in loving another person."
"She had been swept up and spun around; she had been stupid ad sorry and heart-sore."
"She might have told part of the truth, that she had flailed around like an angry child and broken a dozen untouchable things: trust, promises, hearts."
Also including because I laughed and related a little too much at the time of reading
"He sat on a bench on which was carved 'Live. Love. Laugh.' Bit demanding for a seat. He decided he could manage 'Sit. Stay Seethe,'."

[Camia Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed every page, and was sorry when I finished Outsider. I traveled to Tokyo last year with my girlfriend and we spent a few evenings in Shinjuku Ni-Chome. While we did not go into the clubs with hosts, I'll admit I was curious about what went on in them. There are many posters of these youthful hosts. This story takes you into that world, as well as weaving in the unique qualities of Japanese culture. I look forward to reading whatever Jade Du Preez writes next.

[Charmi Zielinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outsider touched base with so many hard topics, gender identity, sexuality, mental health. I could really connect with one of the main female characters Ana, the way she felt tormented by the loss of her mother, and by her history.

This book also enlightened me to unregistered people in Japan, coming from Australia this is not something I was aware of and I’m glad to have learnt about it, and the author had great article recs at the end of the book.

This book made me cry a lot. The story was good, it jumped between multiple POVs, but it really hurt my soul: it was a heavy read. I would recommend being in a good headspace before reading

[Mayur Wadhwani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second read

Still just as mesmerising as the first time. The writing still flows like water, the characters imperfect but human.

Only thing I would ask for is a large font to be used in print.

Can't wait to read more books from the author :)

[Leah Passmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, we have intertwined storylines not dissimilar to that of a Wong Kar-Wai or Quentin Tarantino film (but make it gay). I really enjoy narratives like this where you can see multiple perspectives, it adds complexity to a story which I admire. This story tackles hard but important topics throughout. Looking at gender and sexual identity with care and love, it doesn’t play with people's identity and it has strong characters who are certain of their identity or are in the process of figuring it out. What I really admire is that the story focuses on adult relationships without romance being at the forefront of the narrative. It looks at friendships, relationships with parents, broken marriages and other important types of relationships. It was refreshing especially to see these types of relationships with queer involved. Each character was incredibly well-developed and unique. They each had a different part to play in the story and were equally important. I didn’t find any character uninteresting to read and thoroughly enjoyed all four characters. I thought Ana was complex and displayed emotions that we all feel from time to time but perhaps most of us are afraid to face these feelings whereas she was not. Kyou is also complex but different, she has a complex yet simple identity, to her she is Kyou and that makes sense but everyone else wants to put a label and pronouns on that when she deems it unnecessary. John is the only male character and he is so loving and caring which is very refreshing for a male character. He's also really in touch with his emotions and out of the character is probably the most vulnerable. Finally, Miu is the old wise character who had her complexities (being mute), her story was one of my favourites because she was so mysterious. It did take me a while to figure out the different characters and settings however once I did I really enjoyed the book. I would recommend this highly to people, especially queer people and hope to read it again at some point.

[Madison Pollard-Shore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to read, and a very difficult book to review. What can I say about this book, that isn't quite like anything I've read before? Whilst ostensibly a criticism of the kaiseki system, and an exploration of what it means to be an outsider in Japanese society, someone who doesn't exist, this book is really so much more than that.

This book captures exactly what it feels like to be an outsider in any society, never truly knowing where you belong, what you are meant to be doing, who you are meant to be around. The complicated relationship between Kaiyu and Ana is nuanced and so well-written. Whilst at the start Ana is presented as the main character, it becomes quickly clear that her connection to Kaiyu is the key, and that it is only with and through her that Ana can find the answer to the questions that she has been looking for. Overshadowed by the ever-present impact of the loss of her mother, Kaiyu offers Ana the opportunity to explore what life really means, in a way that feels real and so utterly true.

I would struggle with recommending this book to others, only in that I cannot think of a short way of describing this book that does the depths it contains justice. This is a story of belonging, identity, location and relationships, explored through nabe clubs, art and two women who you cannot help but fall for.

This is an incredible debut novel from Jade Dupreez, and I can't wait to see what she writes next!

[Julie Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this an interesting work of literary fiction. I was quite taken in by the main characters’ respective family mysteries and the way the different characters’ stories intertwined. The inclusion of folk stories, art as storytelling, gaming as storytelling all added depth to the story. I read this whole book in one day as I didn’t want to wait to find answers to the questions that arose throughout the story.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lyrical story about identity and home, connections and communication, and the power and weight of truth. The commentary on statelessnes was poignant and deeply relevant, and the writing was poetic and intricate. In short, I thought this book was wonderful and would love to read more by this author.

[Emilia Lundsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reader you were thrown directly into the story in a way that made me want to read more directly from the first chapter onwards.

I really liked the mix of different cultures and all the big topics that are part of the story. The story gives a believable picture of everyday life’s questions, thoughts and struggles.

A really good book!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a mood and it was beautifully written. Hard to put into words for a brief synopsis. The story is mostly set in Japan and the island of Bijushima. Ana is an upperclass artist trying to make sense of life and her mother’s death. She is married to her best friend John. Kai/Kyou is an unregistered gender bending club host looking for her family name. Kai now lives in Japan but grew up in Bijushima. Kai (as a he) begins to date Ana’s sister-in-law but it’s not a real relationship as it’s related to Kai’s job as a club host. Ana and Kai/Kyou grow closer and Ana finds a muse in Kyou. I loved this book and the feelings it invoked. I would definitely recommend this book even though my words haven’t done it justice.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exquisite book. A captivating story of people who, for one reason or another, struggle to find their place in the world. From nightclubs to faraway islands, the pace and depth of the narrative never fails. Outstanding.

[lala]

idk how to feel about this book yet. i love it tho.

[& · Rating 5 out of 5]

second read. love them intensely. relate to them deeply. amazing book!