What do you think?
A Tiny Speck of Black and Then Nothing
'Exquisitely-written and utterly compelling' SUSAN BARKER
'The soul of a stylish mystery and the pace of an old-fashioned thriller' MOHAMMED HANIF
'Elegant, edgy and cinematic' EMMA CLAIRE SWEENEY
Anna has never met anyone like the enigmatic a British hostess at the Moonglow bar, in the Japanese city of Osaka. While Anna teaches bored students by day, Loll passes the nights in smoky, dim-lit rooms where she pours men's drinks, lights their cigarettes and laughs playfully at their jokes.
With her blonde wigs, shimmering dresses and bejewelled nails, Loll cuts a mesmerising figure. But her skin bears unexplained bruises beneath its glittering facade, and Anna's concern slowly begins to grow. She is troubled by the secret of the carved jade stone necklace that her glamorous new friend seems determined to protect; the mysterious identity of Loll's best client with shadowy links to the city's underworld crime bosses; and the sight Anna witnesses one Loll teetering alone on the edge of a railway track, caught in the deafening rush as a train hurtles by.
Unlike Anna who has come to Osaka to learn more about her half-Japanese heritage, Loll seems to have no clear reason for being there and no easily discernible past. And so when she suddenly disappears, there are only the barest of clues as to where she might have gone. But, desperate to find her friend, Anna refuses to give up. Soon she is thrown onto a trail that will take her into the darkest corners of the neon-choked metropolis - hidden, forbidden places from which those who know the city best warn her to stay away.
'The soul of a stylish mystery and the pace of an old-fashioned thriller' MOHAMMED HANIF
'Elegant, edgy and cinematic' EMMA CLAIRE SWEENEY
Anna has never met anyone like the enigmatic a British hostess at the Moonglow bar, in the Japanese city of Osaka. While Anna teaches bored students by day, Loll passes the nights in smoky, dim-lit rooms where she pours men's drinks, lights their cigarettes and laughs playfully at their jokes.
With her blonde wigs, shimmering dresses and bejewelled nails, Loll cuts a mesmerising figure. But her skin bears unexplained bruises beneath its glittering facade, and Anna's concern slowly begins to grow. She is troubled by the secret of the carved jade stone necklace that her glamorous new friend seems determined to protect; the mysterious identity of Loll's best client with shadowy links to the city's underworld crime bosses; and the sight Anna witnesses one Loll teetering alone on the edge of a railway track, caught in the deafening rush as a train hurtles by.
Unlike Anna who has come to Osaka to learn more about her half-Japanese heritage, Loll seems to have no clear reason for being there and no easily discernible past. And so when she suddenly disappears, there are only the barest of clues as to where she might have gone. But, desperate to find her friend, Anna refuses to give up. Soon she is thrown onto a trail that will take her into the darkest corners of the neon-choked metropolis - hidden, forbidden places from which those who know the city best warn her to stay away.
Hardcover
About the author
Emily Midorikawa
3 books42 followersEmily Midorikawa's debut novel, A TINY SPECK OF BLACK AND THEN NOTHING is published by Manilla Press. Set in the Japanese city of Osaka in the early 2000s, the story centres on two young women – Anna, an English language teacher and Loll, an enigmatic nightclub hostess – whose intense friendship is suddenly disrupted when one of them disappears.
Emily is also the author of two group biographies, OUT OF THE SHADOWS: SIX VISIONARY VICTORIAN WOMEN IN SEARCH OF A PUBLIC VOICE (Counterpoint Press) and A SECRET SISTERHOOD: THE LITERARY FRIENDSHIPS OF JANE AUSTEN, CHARLOTTE BRONTË, GEORGE ELIOT, AND VIRGINIA WOOLF, cowritten with Emma Claire Sweeney and with a foreword by Margaret Atwood (Aurum Press, UK; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, USA). The UK title is A SECRET SISTERHOOD: THE HIDDEN FRIENDSHIPS OF AUSTEN, BRONTË, ELIOT AND WOOLF.
Emily is a winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Her journalism has been published in The Times (of London), the Washington Post, the Paris Review and TIME.
https://emilymidorikawa.com/
https://bsky.app/profile/emilymidorik...
https://www.instagram.com/midorikawae...
https://www.threads.com/@midorikawaem...
Emily is also the author of two group biographies, OUT OF THE SHADOWS: SIX VISIONARY VICTORIAN WOMEN IN SEARCH OF A PUBLIC VOICE (Counterpoint Press) and A SECRET SISTERHOOD: THE LITERARY FRIENDSHIPS OF JANE AUSTEN, CHARLOTTE BRONTË, GEORGE ELIOT, AND VIRGINIA WOOLF, cowritten with Emma Claire Sweeney and with a foreword by Margaret Atwood (Aurum Press, UK; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, USA). The UK title is A SECRET SISTERHOOD: THE HIDDEN FRIENDSHIPS OF AUSTEN, BRONTË, ELIOT AND WOOLF.
Emily is a winner of the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Her journalism has been published in The Times (of London), the Washington Post, the Paris Review and TIME.
https://emilymidorikawa.com/
https://bsky.app/profile/emilymidorik...
https://www.instagram.com/midorikawae...
https://www.threads.com/@midorikawaem...
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 7, 2026
Anna has arrived in Osaka, Japan, to take up an English teaching post.
What a fabulous novel. Intelligently written, intense and intimate, A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is such an absorbing read.
Essentially, the plot revolves around the developing friendship between Anna and Loll, or Charlotte, or Charlie depending on the person with whom Loll is interacting and the persona she is portraying. That may sound simplistic, but this novel is multi-layered and fascinating so that it mesmerises the reader.
Firstly, there is the most exquisite glimpse into all facets of Japanese life, from etiquette, through levels of society and daily behaviours to organised crime and corruption. Emily Midorikawa puts flesh on the bones of our half-known Japanese facts, correcting assumptions, and providing real insight as she weaves her spell binding tale. The sense of place in Osaka is vivid, realistic and authentic so that it is as if the reader is accompanying Anna as she moves round the city. Work, nightlife, food and so on all add texture and interest. I adored this aspect of the story.
One of the elements that is so effective in this beautifully written narrative is the layering of Anna’s first person story with traditional fable and factual extracts so that there’s an almost dreamlike film noir atmosphere. This makes A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing fascinating. It feels part memoir, part thriller, part coming of age and part cinema in its execution. I found myself almost hypnotised by the writing and think there is something for every reader to appreciate here.
Anna herself is as much a hybrid as the structure. Working in Japan where her absconded mother has lived since fleeing England and abandoning Anna and her father when Anna was nine, it’s as if Anna has greater unacknowledged Japanese culture in her DNA than she realises, and yet she remains other, an outsider. She doesn’t fit in well with the other young people and is rather a spare part in the school where she works. As a result, her friendship with Loll feels all the more absorbing and obsessive so that when Loll disappears, it is as if Anna has lost part of herself as well as her friend.
Loll is wonderful; in turn glittering, brittle, fragile, mysterious and unreliable. In the same way the crane woman of Japanese fable creates the highest quality fabric for her husband, so Loll’s presence adds glamour and sparkle whenever she enters a room. Rather like a shooting star, she fascinates but feels fleeting and transient. She’s such a complex character that I found it hard to decide if I loved or loathed her. I could not decide if I actually trusted and applauded her reasons even when she behaved most duplicitously. I found this such an absorbing part of the book.
The themes of A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing are so engaging. There’s a sensitive exploration of identity – not least because we never really know which Loll we might be witnessing – of cultural heritage and belonging, of family dynamics, mental health and of fierce loyalty in friendship. I think A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is a novel that rewards multiple readings in order to appreciate fully Emily Midorikawa’s dexterity in creating her narrative.
I loved A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing. It’s a sophisticated presentation of friendship, and the way we never truly understand ourselves, let alone others. It explores belonging, family and identity utterly compellingly, illustrating how, sometimes, letting go is the one action that can save us. I finished the narrative feeling I had been treated to a text of true quality and craft and I thoroughly, thoroughly, recommend A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing.
What a fabulous novel. Intelligently written, intense and intimate, A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is such an absorbing read.
Essentially, the plot revolves around the developing friendship between Anna and Loll, or Charlotte, or Charlie depending on the person with whom Loll is interacting and the persona she is portraying. That may sound simplistic, but this novel is multi-layered and fascinating so that it mesmerises the reader.
Firstly, there is the most exquisite glimpse into all facets of Japanese life, from etiquette, through levels of society and daily behaviours to organised crime and corruption. Emily Midorikawa puts flesh on the bones of our half-known Japanese facts, correcting assumptions, and providing real insight as she weaves her spell binding tale. The sense of place in Osaka is vivid, realistic and authentic so that it is as if the reader is accompanying Anna as she moves round the city. Work, nightlife, food and so on all add texture and interest. I adored this aspect of the story.
One of the elements that is so effective in this beautifully written narrative is the layering of Anna’s first person story with traditional fable and factual extracts so that there’s an almost dreamlike film noir atmosphere. This makes A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing fascinating. It feels part memoir, part thriller, part coming of age and part cinema in its execution. I found myself almost hypnotised by the writing and think there is something for every reader to appreciate here.
Anna herself is as much a hybrid as the structure. Working in Japan where her absconded mother has lived since fleeing England and abandoning Anna and her father when Anna was nine, it’s as if Anna has greater unacknowledged Japanese culture in her DNA than she realises, and yet she remains other, an outsider. She doesn’t fit in well with the other young people and is rather a spare part in the school where she works. As a result, her friendship with Loll feels all the more absorbing and obsessive so that when Loll disappears, it is as if Anna has lost part of herself as well as her friend.
Loll is wonderful; in turn glittering, brittle, fragile, mysterious and unreliable. In the same way the crane woman of Japanese fable creates the highest quality fabric for her husband, so Loll’s presence adds glamour and sparkle whenever she enters a room. Rather like a shooting star, she fascinates but feels fleeting and transient. She’s such a complex character that I found it hard to decide if I loved or loathed her. I could not decide if I actually trusted and applauded her reasons even when she behaved most duplicitously. I found this such an absorbing part of the book.
The themes of A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing are so engaging. There’s a sensitive exploration of identity – not least because we never really know which Loll we might be witnessing – of cultural heritage and belonging, of family dynamics, mental health and of fierce loyalty in friendship. I think A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is a novel that rewards multiple readings in order to appreciate fully Emily Midorikawa’s dexterity in creating her narrative.
I loved A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing. It’s a sophisticated presentation of friendship, and the way we never truly understand ourselves, let alone others. It explores belonging, family and identity utterly compellingly, illustrating how, sometimes, letting go is the one action that can save us. I finished the narrative feeling I had been treated to a text of true quality and craft and I thoroughly, thoroughly, recommend A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing.
August 31, 2026
Evocative and intriguing, with an underlying uncomfortable tension throughout the book as its compelling narrative comes to a violent head.
BUT Anna was too stupid and naive for my tastes - god do I remember my early 20s and that insane feeling of invincibility. I look back and do find it wild nothing bad actually happened to me. But while I was stupid, I was still aware of the danger. Anna is totally ignorant to the position she has found herself in and the events playing out around her and there is no excuse for it. The book references real life murders that occurred during the time period this story is set in. She will have been warned about the Yakuza, corrupt police and hostess murders and yet she is still a total pratt about it.
I thought we were introduced to many interesting characters but all of them felt a bit hollow and under developed. The ending felt rushed and the multiple plot points never fully explored or explained. Too much is left to the reader assumption and honestly it pissed me off.
This had great potential and I literally devoured with it but for me, I wanted another 200 pages and a much more indepth dive into Japan's seedy underworld in the early 2000s and more of an explanation as to why anyone gave a shit about Lol's jade necklace.
BUT Anna was too stupid and naive for my tastes - god do I remember my early 20s and that insane feeling of invincibility. I look back and do find it wild nothing bad actually happened to me. But while I was stupid, I was still aware of the danger. Anna is totally ignorant to the position she has found herself in and the events playing out around her and there is no excuse for it. The book references real life murders that occurred during the time period this story is set in. She will have been warned about the Yakuza, corrupt police and hostess murders and yet she is still a total pratt about it.
I thought we were introduced to many interesting characters but all of them felt a bit hollow and under developed. The ending felt rushed and the multiple plot points never fully explored or explained. Too much is left to the reader assumption and honestly it pissed me off.
This had great potential and I literally devoured with it but for me, I wanted another 200 pages and a much more indepth dive into Japan's seedy underworld in the early 2000s and more of an explanation as to why anyone gave a shit about Lol's jade necklace.
November 18, 2025
review to come!
August 7, 2026
A beautifully written and engaging book about friendship, identity and finding your place in the world.
The book follows the journey of Anna a young woman of English and Japanese parentage as she goes to Japan to live and work as an English teacher. Anna quickly meets and becomes friends with Loll, an English woman working as a hostess in a bar, but then Loll goes missing.
I quickly empathised with Anna and felt her joy at familiar things she recalled from her childhood with a Japanese mother, her sense of disorientation at the unfamiliar parts of the culture, and the sense of being alone and unable to speak the language or make sense of events (despite being surrounded by people.)
Anna meets Loll not long after she’s arrived and is soon sharing her apartment. It is clear that Anna is awed and a little obsessed with Loll. The book reminded me of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (one of my favourite books) in the way it built up a picture of Loll as a mysterious, intriguing and glamorous woman, whose character and reputation are built more from the perspective and comments of other characters than through seeing much of Loll herself. We’re never quite sure of the truth of Loll’s character and whether she deserves the fierce loyalty and determination Anna gives to her.
On one level, the book is a mystery, and we follow Anna’s increasingly desperate attempts to find out what has happened to her friend with a sense of growing trepidation and danger, never able to trust whether any of the characters are who they seem to be. This mystery had me eagerly turning the pages of the book to find out what happened next, but the book has so many more layers than as a straightforward thriller.
Aside from the central relationship between Anna and Loll, and the mystery of where Loll has gone, there are strands about identity, family and knowing where you belong in the world.
I loved the sense of place and culture of Japan that came across in the book. It’s obvious the author has some knowledge of this and I was fascinated to learn more about the country, the etiquette and customs. These are woven unobtrusively into the book so that the influence of Japan is almost like another character.
I have read and enjoyed the author’s non-fiction books and writing. Much of her work has been about friendships between women so it doesn’t surprise me that her first work of fiction is a strong depiction of female friendship. With all the book’s many layers, the power of that friendship is what leaves the strongest impression.
The book follows the journey of Anna a young woman of English and Japanese parentage as she goes to Japan to live and work as an English teacher. Anna quickly meets and becomes friends with Loll, an English woman working as a hostess in a bar, but then Loll goes missing.
I quickly empathised with Anna and felt her joy at familiar things she recalled from her childhood with a Japanese mother, her sense of disorientation at the unfamiliar parts of the culture, and the sense of being alone and unable to speak the language or make sense of events (despite being surrounded by people.)
Anna meets Loll not long after she’s arrived and is soon sharing her apartment. It is clear that Anna is awed and a little obsessed with Loll. The book reminded me of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (one of my favourite books) in the way it built up a picture of Loll as a mysterious, intriguing and glamorous woman, whose character and reputation are built more from the perspective and comments of other characters than through seeing much of Loll herself. We’re never quite sure of the truth of Loll’s character and whether she deserves the fierce loyalty and determination Anna gives to her.
On one level, the book is a mystery, and we follow Anna’s increasingly desperate attempts to find out what has happened to her friend with a sense of growing trepidation and danger, never able to trust whether any of the characters are who they seem to be. This mystery had me eagerly turning the pages of the book to find out what happened next, but the book has so many more layers than as a straightforward thriller.
Aside from the central relationship between Anna and Loll, and the mystery of where Loll has gone, there are strands about identity, family and knowing where you belong in the world.
I loved the sense of place and culture of Japan that came across in the book. It’s obvious the author has some knowledge of this and I was fascinated to learn more about the country, the etiquette and customs. These are woven unobtrusively into the book so that the influence of Japan is almost like another character.
I have read and enjoyed the author’s non-fiction books and writing. Much of her work has been about friendships between women so it doesn’t surprise me that her first work of fiction is a strong depiction of female friendship. With all the book’s many layers, the power of that friendship is what leaves the strongest impression.
July 25, 2026
I found this a highly engaging story about how quickly intense relationships can blossom and how we never quite know what might be going on in other people's lives despite how closely connected we feel. It explores loss and trauma with hints of an underworld that guides you whilst allowing you to fill in the gaps with your own imagination and experiences - this makes the story easy to personalise for the individual reader.
June 22, 2026
Utterly brilliant.
Raw, compelling & dark.
Incredible, flawed characters & so stylish.
You can actually feel Anna’s desperation seeping into you.
Perfect for lovers of Asako Yuzuki.
Raw, compelling & dark.
Incredible, flawed characters & so stylish.
You can actually feel Anna’s desperation seeping into you.
Perfect for lovers of Asako Yuzuki.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc!
An interesting but flawed read. The book follows Anna, returning to Japan as an English teacher with the hopes of finding her mother. There she meets hostess Loll and a series of unsettling events occurs. The author does a great job of introducing the various characters and setting the scene. For me the ending was rushed and rather nonsensical as the author tried to cram too many plot points into too few pages. Additionally, there were some characters that were desperately in need of further exploration, in particular the „underworld“ ones, given that that is the premise of this book. Overall, an engaging book but in need of a better narrative structure.
An interesting but flawed read. The book follows Anna, returning to Japan as an English teacher with the hopes of finding her mother. There she meets hostess Loll and a series of unsettling events occurs. The author does a great job of introducing the various characters and setting the scene. For me the ending was rushed and rather nonsensical as the author tried to cram too many plot points into too few pages. Additionally, there were some characters that were desperately in need of further exploration, in particular the „underworld“ ones, given that that is the premise of this book. Overall, an engaging book but in need of a better narrative structure.
August 26, 2026
This is such a wonderful novel - a slice of quality in a landscape where so much contemporary fiction is derivative and a bit 'blah'. I read somewhere that this book had a long gestation period and it shows - the reader is transported to a different era, not so long ago in years but before the algorithm held so much sway over our lives. Set in Japan, the story follows English teacher Anna who is bewitched by the worldly hostess Loll. When Loll goes missing, Anna is drawn into the hunt for her glamorous friend with surprising results. A beautifully written disquisition on longing and identity, and the things we do to feel as though we belong - to our friendship groups, families and the cultures we originate from. Read it!
August 27, 2026
Vivid, glaring, realistic descriptions of Japan in the 2000’s. A suspenseful story that’s so well-crafted, I felt like I was really there, as a young English teacher living in the buzzing city of Osaka. I’m Japanese-British, so this novel struck many chords with my own experience, sometimes disturbing, other times nostalgic. Enjoyed observing the intense friendship that develops between the two young women, and then, the haunting mystery that unfolds. A glittering piece of fiction that leaves your soul in the gutter. Perfect pace. If you’re at all enamoured by Japan then read this, you won’t regret it.
August 5, 2026
A beautifully observed story set in Osaka about a half Japanese girl, Anna, and her relationship with her elusive and enigmatic flatmate Loll. I loved the characters and the insights into Japanese culture, particularly the portrayal of working a hostess, and the interactions between the Japanese Sensei and the younger English TEFL teachers. There is an underlying theme of the search for cultural identity and belonging, loyalty and loss, inside a great story line full of suspense.
August 31, 2026
Fabulous tense mystery, set in early 21st century Osaka. The protagonist, Anna, is an English Language teacher from York, newly arrived in Japan and out of her depth in the seedy underworld of nightclubs, hostesses and gangsters.
Beautifully written, it is alive with detail and a tension which grabs you early and doesn't let go until the twist in the finale.
Both elegant and gripping. If you like suspense - you will like this book.
Beautifully written, it is alive with detail and a tension which grabs you early and doesn't let go until the twist in the finale.
Both elegant and gripping. If you like suspense - you will like this book.
July 29, 2026
Slow to start but picks up towards the end. It gives an interesting insight into the life and viewpoint of a young Brit abroad trying to navigate a new(ish) culture. Set in Japan in 2003 it follows half Japanese Anna who has gone to Japan to teach English and meets Loll, a young Hostess, who disappears. Anna's Japanese mother also disappeared when Anna was 9 yesterday old....
August 16, 2026
3.5/5 stars from me! I raced to the end of this book to find out what happened and I loved how detailed the city scenes were — I could practically smell the metro stations just from the descriptions. Docking stars only because I would have liked to spend more time with Anna settling into the city and because I found the ending a bit neat and tidy. 🌟
September 14, 2026
I loved this book. I spent time teaching English in Japan fifteen years ago and it brought back so many memories - it really conjured the ‘feeling’ of being a foreigner in Japan and the atmosphere and noise of Osaka. The mystery in this novel is gripping and completely addictive, I couldn’t put it down! Beautifully written, smart and evocative - I really enjoyed.
August 22, 2026
A perfectly written page turner. Psychological thriller with intriguing characters, fascinating detail of Japanese culture and nightlife in Osaka. A beautiful edition which also makes a great gift - although you won't want to pass on your own copy!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews