生きてるだけで、愛。 [Ikiteru dake de, ai]

by Yukiko Motoya, 本谷 有希子

あんたと別れてもいいけど、あたしはさ、あたしと別れられないんだよね、一生。母譲りの躁鬱をもてあます寧子と寡黙な津奈木。ほとばしる言葉で描かれた恋愛小説の新しいカタチ。

Genres: Fiction, Japan

144 pages, Hardcover

First published July 28, 2006

About the author

Yukiko Motoya (本谷 有希子) is a seasoned Japanese author, playwright, voice actress and theatre director. She has won prestigious awards in most of those fields including the Kenzaburo Oe Prize, Mishima Yukio Prize, and the Akutagawa Prize.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up, because while I feel a bit ambiguous about this one, I have an odd appreciation for how unhinged the protagonist is capable of being. If you've ever worried you'll never get your life together, just wait until you meet Yasuko. Love at Least explores what it means for a person to be considered "useful" and worthy of being loved with an unlikable (though occasionally relatable) narrator that struggles with inherited mental illness.

[chels · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overall premise was interesting and kept me engaged, however I found the storytelling very jumpy. Wish we were able to get more details about the restaurant and her reflecting on her mom and the past. Missed opportunity but still an interesting quick read

[Bonny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nick Malone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review forthcoming in CHIRB

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dysfunctional side of Japan you don't normally hear about: people staying in bed, not working, losing their way. Life can be cruel in Tokyo, and this is about depression and hypersomnia, failing in a country that ruthlessly demands direction and commitment. But despite the dark undercurrents, it is also absolutely hilarious, an energetic, dynamic reexamination of Japanese society and culture in ways that surprise over and over again.

[Sam Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was delulu, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to read it! I am very thankful to Yukiko Motoya, Soft Skull, and NetGalley for advanced digital access before September 8, 2026.

Our FMC is depressed and stuck in a rut, proceeding to push away everyone in her midst until it's just her and the boyfriend she assumes tolerates her ever-changing mood swings. Readers are tossed into her spiraling rabbit hole as well, as she suffers and fails to find a way out of her sadness.

This novella, of sorts, is deep, short, and aggravating from all angles, but I still appreciated the ride.