What do you think?
Rate this book
The Thirst
Disclaimer: The short story is set in modern Japan, specifically Osaka. The readers should approach the book with this knowledge in mind.
"It was Osaka, the city where it was easy to lie half-dead on the street, but difficult to smile to strangers. It was the city of rowdy young girls in their anime costumes, of hanging lanterns drenched in the smell of Dotonbori sake and all-night partygoers, of a dust-specked book in an antique shop while the owner tried to finish it without having any page falling off. It was the city of public shaming for not having your bag matching your shoes, of shut-ins of thirty years claiming human connection was overrated, of long hours and no extra pay, of Kamagasaki's cheap internet cafes and flophouses with no permanent address where the homeless people stay in."
Kyousuke was craving. He had been working for fifteen years without leave; working was his second nature. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a happy marriage, a happy family, a happy life. He had forgotten how to live. But there was one thing he would never forget.
Alcohol.
To get away from everything, the man fell back to his daily routine: getting dead drunk. As he did, the memory of his past came to haunt him. Would he ever find a way out?
'The Thirst' is literary fiction done right, a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction. A very short, but guaranteed satisfying read.
"It was Osaka, the city where it was easy to lie half-dead on the street, but difficult to smile to strangers. It was the city of rowdy young girls in their anime costumes, of hanging lanterns drenched in the smell of Dotonbori sake and all-night partygoers, of a dust-specked book in an antique shop while the owner tried to finish it without having any page falling off. It was the city of public shaming for not having your bag matching your shoes, of shut-ins of thirty years claiming human connection was overrated, of long hours and no extra pay, of Kamagasaki's cheap internet cafes and flophouses with no permanent address where the homeless people stay in."
Kyousuke was craving. He had been working for fifteen years without leave; working was his second nature. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a happy marriage, a happy family, a happy life. He had forgotten how to live. But there was one thing he would never forget.
Alcohol.
To get away from everything, the man fell back to his daily routine: getting dead drunk. As he did, the memory of his past came to haunt him. Would he ever find a way out?
'The Thirst' is literary fiction done right, a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction. A very short, but guaranteed satisfying read.
14 pages, ebook
Published March 28, 2020
4 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Newwyn
4 books37 followersDaniel Newwyn is an aspiring writer, a professional eSports gamer, and a translator. His works have won a number of online awards in Vietnam and were listed among the promising Undiscovered Writers of Wattpad. As of current, he is the chief content producer of insightful eSport content such as Hearthstone Wildside Report. If not seen spamming words in front of his PC, Newwyn can be found taking photos of beautiful beaches or cuddling with his pet poodle.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 26, 2023
Daniel Newwyn’s writing evokes strong emotions even with a limited page count. Only 17 pages, “The Thirst” follows a salaryman from Japan but still evokes a sense of lost love and degradation of one’s life. I’m only 18 so I hope I am filled with the hope of the world however it works like this and Newwyn’s novel “The Color of Your Voice” erodes this sense of hope. Kyousuke falls into the trap of working that so many do. Always thinking if you put in the work it will be easier later on… Sadly, work leads to more work but this time your superiors trust you work even faster until you're unable to and you're burnt out. It is my understanding that Kyousuke finally faced burnout and was forced to take a vacation by the company. This vacation comes years too late as he has already sacrificed his familial bonds at that alter of the company.
Being from the US, I am not overly familiar with the cultures that Newwyn writes about but enjoy just being dropped into a scenario having to figure out the cultural context. If you want to learn more, you can through research or if you're familiar with the culture that natural dynamics does not need explanation. Truly immersive. I couldn’t bring myself to write off Kyousuke's neglectfulness just because he was trying to cope. I hope the boy and him reconcile but staying in a loveless marriage is not helping anyone so the couple needs a divorce.
Being from the US, I am not overly familiar with the cultures that Newwyn writes about but enjoy just being dropped into a scenario having to figure out the cultural context. If you want to learn more, you can through research or if you're familiar with the culture that natural dynamics does not need explanation. Truly immersive. I couldn’t bring myself to write off Kyousuke's neglectfulness just because he was trying to cope. I hope the boy and him reconcile but staying in a loveless marriage is not helping anyone so the couple needs a divorce.
April 13, 2020
Daniel Newwyn presents his protagonist with no preparatory interpretation for Western readers: one is dropped into the culture and world of a modern Japanese 'salaryman' (typically a business-suited long-term employee of a corporation). That cost one star. However, the immersive and heart-breaking portrayal of Kyousuke's struggles to escape the trap that is his life is nothing less than brilliant, and deserves five stars. Recommended for literary readers who want to step out of their comfort zone.
May 3, 2020
Daniel Newwyn leads us through the life of a man at rock bottom in The Thirst. Kyousuke has just been forced to take a break from work, an event that leads him rushing to his regular bar. There, he’s confronted with the rough patches of his life and some advice from an unlikely source. Newwyn always has such a beautiful way of describing things, even the dark gritty reality of human emotion. If you’re looking for a redemption story filled with likeable characters, this isn’t exactly it, but it is a lusciously descriptive read with an avenue towards hope!
May 25, 2020
‘The Thirst’ by Daniel Newwyn is a story of a salaried man i.e. Kyousuke from Osaka. The book begins with Kyousuke receiving a forced vacation from his office authorities. Kyousuke had never taken a single leave he is confused as to why he is given leave all of a sudden. The next biggest question before him is what he is going to do while he is not working. Soon he decides to leave for where most salaried men like to visit. Here he goes to his regular bar where the bartender Hasebe knows him very well. Soon he starts drinking so much that Hasebe decides to intervene in the matter. But Kyousuke soon gets angry with Hasebe’s behavior and asks him if he knows to whom he is talking. Soon they both get into conversation which is an eye opener to Kyousuke and all of us in some way or the other. Why it is that Kyousuke is given a vacation all of a sudden? What is it that Kyousuke feels the need to drink so much? To know read ‘The Thirst’
My Thoughts:
The story gives us a glimpse in the life of Japanese businessman. When we see Kyousuke we get to know how most of our lives revolve around our work and our race to achieve success. While doing this we forget to give time or importance to all other things including our family and friends. And when we cannot overcome our failures we try to cope it up with drinking without thinking about our future.
The characters are well developed and we can relate to them as somewhere we all too are in this constant race of success. I liked Hasebe’s character how he tries to talk to Kyousuke and tries to stop him. It is very hard to find people who think about strangers and I must say that Hasebe is a gem of a person. Hasebe is very young but then too with this conversation with Kyousuke teaches Kyousuke a lot.
Language is simple and lucid. The book cover is beautiful. The book cover and the title both justify the plot.
It was a very short read and I would surely recommend it to all.
My Thoughts:
The story gives us a glimpse in the life of Japanese businessman. When we see Kyousuke we get to know how most of our lives revolve around our work and our race to achieve success. While doing this we forget to give time or importance to all other things including our family and friends. And when we cannot overcome our failures we try to cope it up with drinking without thinking about our future.
The characters are well developed and we can relate to them as somewhere we all too are in this constant race of success. I liked Hasebe’s character how he tries to talk to Kyousuke and tries to stop him. It is very hard to find people who think about strangers and I must say that Hasebe is a gem of a person. Hasebe is very young but then too with this conversation with Kyousuke teaches Kyousuke a lot.
Language is simple and lucid. The book cover is beautiful. The book cover and the title both justify the plot.
It was a very short read and I would surely recommend it to all.
May 22, 2020
And it was the city of a dust-specked book in an antique shop while the owner tried to finish it without the pages falling out.
🦄🦄🦄
Kyousuke has spent the last fifteen years of his life focused on his work and earning money to support his family.
But all the money in the world will not heal the empty feeling in his heart from a marriage and family on the rocks and now he's been asked to take a break from work.
To forget he turns to a deadly vice, alcohol.
Will he ever be able to have a happy and satisfied life?
🦄🦄🦄
The Thirst is a short story by Daniel Newwyn that's powerful and realistic.
I love books like these that talk about the truth behind the curtains even though it is fictional.
You feel angry and sorry for the main character at the same time because even though he is emotionally drained, he is also confined to the norms of the society he grew up in.
This is one of the harshest realities everyone faces wherever you are in the world.
If you don't do something right, in the eyes of the society you are deemed unworthy and the author has highlighted this subject beautifully
But there's also the subject on forgiveness and change, everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance if they allow themselves that chance.
The author definitely has some great storytelling skills because of the Amway he describes every place, every scenario, every view makes you feel like you're standing right there in Japan.
The ending is left open, because life every life story we do not know what the future holds.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 10/10
Melina L.
🦄🦄🦄
Kyousuke has spent the last fifteen years of his life focused on his work and earning money to support his family.
But all the money in the world will not heal the empty feeling in his heart from a marriage and family on the rocks and now he's been asked to take a break from work.
To forget he turns to a deadly vice, alcohol.
Will he ever be able to have a happy and satisfied life?
🦄🦄🦄
The Thirst is a short story by Daniel Newwyn that's powerful and realistic.
I love books like these that talk about the truth behind the curtains even though it is fictional.
You feel angry and sorry for the main character at the same time because even though he is emotionally drained, he is also confined to the norms of the society he grew up in.
This is one of the harshest realities everyone faces wherever you are in the world.
If you don't do something right, in the eyes of the society you are deemed unworthy and the author has highlighted this subject beautifully
But there's also the subject on forgiveness and change, everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance if they allow themselves that chance.
The author definitely has some great storytelling skills because of the Amway he describes every place, every scenario, every view makes you feel like you're standing right there in Japan.
The ending is left open, because life every life story we do not know what the future holds.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 10/10
Melina L.
April 7, 2020
This is literary fiction done right. Newwyn's voice in this piece comes across very strongly. There was a clean consistency in the narration that was appropriate for the subject matter. His strength in this story was definitely your use of descriptive language. He illustrated the setting so well that I felt like I was walking through the streets of Osaka. If I had to nit-pick, I would say that the paragraph that begins with "It was Osaka" actually captures the atmosphere of Tokyo more, but maybe that's because I dislike Tokyo and Osaka seems friendlier to me.
Aside from the city aesthetics, he also did a good job portraying of Japanese culture. The personalities of Kyousuke and Hasebe are realistic, with their motivations clear and believable. All in all, a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction.
Aside from the city aesthetics, he also did a good job portraying of Japanese culture. The personalities of Kyousuke and Hasebe are realistic, with their motivations clear and believable. All in all, a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction.
June 6, 2020
The story starts with the middle-aged man Kyousuke, a workaholic and who has suddenly gotten a vacation after working for 15 years without any leaves.
What will you do if your wife doesn’t love you anymore? Or you don’t see your kid for five days of the week and when you see he cares less?
So this is a story about Kyousuke and his midlife crisis. And does the only thing he thinks is right, that is to drink, drink, drink, and drink. Until he talks to a man younger than him, who says words beyond amazement.
So will his life come back on track? Will he at least try, or has he already given up?
My Take :
This is the second book I am reading of the author Daniel Newwyn and it’s just amazing to see how a short story can also be inspirational.
This story is short to read and can be read in one go. It’s truly gripping and engaging.
The character is well defined and the emotions are very well expressed. While reading one can easily feel what the character is going through which is amazing to read.
The highlight of the book is the writing style, which makes it seem like a reality, and the book is also written and lucid language which is gripping from the very start.
Overall a short but interesting read.
What will you do if your wife doesn’t love you anymore? Or you don’t see your kid for five days of the week and when you see he cares less?
So this is a story about Kyousuke and his midlife crisis. And does the only thing he thinks is right, that is to drink, drink, drink, and drink. Until he talks to a man younger than him, who says words beyond amazement.
So will his life come back on track? Will he at least try, or has he already given up?
My Take :
This is the second book I am reading of the author Daniel Newwyn and it’s just amazing to see how a short story can also be inspirational.
This story is short to read and can be read in one go. It’s truly gripping and engaging.
The character is well defined and the emotions are very well expressed. While reading one can easily feel what the character is going through which is amazing to read.
The highlight of the book is the writing style, which makes it seem like a reality, and the book is also written and lucid language which is gripping from the very start.
Overall a short but interesting read.
May 24, 2020
We humans forget everything while doing work to make money. What is happiness when we don't know that a life is there besides it. The story of the book deals with the same situation that a workaholic person don't know what is happiness. Book is very short but story is very amazing to read. Story moves around the city of Japan, Osaka. Peoples don't know about happiness they just know about how to make money. Kyousuke the main character of the book is working continuously for the last 15 years. He didn't know about happiness whether a world exist besides it. To become free from tension he had in his mind he become alcoholic. Through this book the author wants to show us our life what we have become. The past life of Kyousuke is discussed that shows what will happen at the end with him. A small advice can change many things. Same happened with Kyousuke what was the advice that changed his life. Book is a beauty where a lot of things are shown and it shows us what we can do if we decide. It takes very less time to read the book. What are you waiting for pick up the book and change your life with this beautiful book.
May 28, 2020
This short story is too short for my liking 😬
I would have wanted a couple more pages of world building instead of being immediately immersed into the thick of the story. There are people who are not as familiar with Japan’s customs and behaviors. I know some, and having a bit of that background did help me connect with this story.
Japan has been the home of the most overworked individuals. I remember seeing the news about a man who died because he had to work basically the whole week. It was heartbreaking and I wondered how these working people are coping with being slaves to their workplace.
As with Daniel Newwyn’s other work, The Colour of Your Voice, we were reading about real life conditions of ordinary people. It was eye opening and heartbreaking at the same time. It’s a bit hard to read about someone knowing that they did something wrong, that they should change, but they just don’t push through with it. The last part of this story gives me hope that Kyousuke did manage to get himself out of the hole that he dug himself into.
#TheBookwormPrincess👸🏻
I would have wanted a couple more pages of world building instead of being immediately immersed into the thick of the story. There are people who are not as familiar with Japan’s customs and behaviors. I know some, and having a bit of that background did help me connect with this story.
Japan has been the home of the most overworked individuals. I remember seeing the news about a man who died because he had to work basically the whole week. It was heartbreaking and I wondered how these working people are coping with being slaves to their workplace.
As with Daniel Newwyn’s other work, The Colour of Your Voice, we were reading about real life conditions of ordinary people. It was eye opening and heartbreaking at the same time. It’s a bit hard to read about someone knowing that they did something wrong, that they should change, but they just don’t push through with it. The last part of this story gives me hope that Kyousuke did manage to get himself out of the hole that he dug himself into.
#TheBookwormPrincess👸🏻
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2020
Do you love reading literary fiction? If yes, then this book is for you. The Thirst is a story about an employee Kyousuke who is a branch manager by designation. All his life he has only focussed on work. He even didn't take a day off.
After work, what could fulfill his thirst is the alcohol. He once went to a bar and had a conversation with a bartender Hasebe. What was this conversation that changed the life of Kyousuke?
The Japanese culture and the success that matters for the people there has been shown very well. Kyousuke, the main character in particular didn't much cared about his personal life due to work. He kept on working just to get more work.
This is a short story that made me realized that life should not be just spent within the four walls of office. It is much more than that. It has also depicted well how one advice no matter that is from a younger person or older can change your life. Really a great book. Must read. But I felt that the book is little overpriced.
After work, what could fulfill his thirst is the alcohol. He once went to a bar and had a conversation with a bartender Hasebe. What was this conversation that changed the life of Kyousuke?
The Japanese culture and the success that matters for the people there has been shown very well. Kyousuke, the main character in particular didn't much cared about his personal life due to work. He kept on working just to get more work.
This is a short story that made me realized that life should not be just spent within the four walls of office. It is much more than that. It has also depicted well how one advice no matter that is from a younger person or older can change your life. Really a great book. Must read. But I felt that the book is little overpriced.
June 5, 2020
Thank you for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The thirst by Daniel Newwyn is a short story about a man named Kyuosuke who has a reputation to uphold. Everyone believes that he is a man with a happy marriage, he is wealthy as he is a successful business man. However, behind the scenes we can see that his life is not as perfect as everyone thinks it to be due to his family issues. To relieve himself from the burdens and the eyes of society he drinks.
Even in society today there are so many people who live similar lives to Kyuosuke. They have reputations to uphold and everyone believes that their lives are perfect but in reality no ones lives are perfect as it seems and Daniel Newwyn does a fantastic job at portraying this as his use of words gives impact to the readers. I applaud the way he manipulates his words to give the readers a rich description of Osaka. It felt asthough I myself was in Osaka and looking out into the busy city.
The thirst by Daniel Newwyn is a short story about a man named Kyuosuke who has a reputation to uphold. Everyone believes that he is a man with a happy marriage, he is wealthy as he is a successful business man. However, behind the scenes we can see that his life is not as perfect as everyone thinks it to be due to his family issues. To relieve himself from the burdens and the eyes of society he drinks.
Even in society today there are so many people who live similar lives to Kyuosuke. They have reputations to uphold and everyone believes that their lives are perfect but in reality no ones lives are perfect as it seems and Daniel Newwyn does a fantastic job at portraying this as his use of words gives impact to the readers. I applaud the way he manipulates his words to give the readers a rich description of Osaka. It felt asthough I myself was in Osaka and looking out into the busy city.
July 31, 2020
This a short story which is well portrayed and very inspiring.
The characters are well defined and once you start reading this , you will feel everything which is happening with the main character.
There is a main character named Kyousuke. Kyousuke was craving. He had been working for fifteen years without leave , earning and supporting his family, working was his second nature. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a happy marriage, a happy family, a happy life. He had forgotten how to live. But there was one thing he would never forget and that is Alcohol.
To get away from everything, the man fell back to his daily routine: getting dead drunk. As he did, the memory of his past came to haunt him. Would he ever find a way out?
The story is very interesting and will keep you interested till the end.
This is a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction. A very short, but guaranteed satisfying read.
The characters are well defined and once you start reading this , you will feel everything which is happening with the main character.
There is a main character named Kyousuke. Kyousuke was craving. He had been working for fifteen years without leave , earning and supporting his family, working was his second nature. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a happy marriage, a happy family, a happy life. He had forgotten how to live. But there was one thing he would never forget and that is Alcohol.
To get away from everything, the man fell back to his daily routine: getting dead drunk. As he did, the memory of his past came to haunt him. Would he ever find a way out?
The story is very interesting and will keep you interested till the end.
This is a well-written short story that highlights a potentially life-changing moment in the middle of a path to destruction. A very short, but guaranteed satisfying read.
May 24, 2020
'The Thirst' is a short story by the author Daniel Newwyn. It is set in Osaka, Japan. The protagonist of the story is Kyousuke. He had worked for fifteen years without leave. Doesn't that surprised you? Yeah it surprised me a lot while reading.
The protagonist even forgot how to live a happy life. He had been too much workaholic. His only escape was Alcohol. He had couple of drinks. One after the another.
Through this story, author has given us a sneak peek into the life of Japanese employees. He has also shown how one advice can be life changing for someone in a positive way.
You could finish this book in less than an hour. I enjoyed reading this book on my weekend. Would definitely recommend this to my fellow readers.
The protagonist even forgot how to live a happy life. He had been too much workaholic. His only escape was Alcohol. He had couple of drinks. One after the another.
Through this story, author has given us a sneak peek into the life of Japanese employees. He has also shown how one advice can be life changing for someone in a positive way.
You could finish this book in less than an hour. I enjoyed reading this book on my weekend. Would definitely recommend this to my fellow readers.
May 24, 2020
The Thirst is a short story by the author Daniel Newwyn. This is a great pick for weekend short read with a cup of cold coffee. The story revolves around a workaholic man whose work is his priority in life. After his work, if there is anything that could satisfy him is alcohol.
One day when he went to a bar and strike a conversation with the bartender Hasebe, he got a life changing advice. The Japanese culture that has been narrated in the story introduced me to something new. In few words, author has explained many things.
The overall narration of the story is nice. I really appreciate the writing skills of the author. Although it was a fiction, but this story gives a powerful message. A must read this is.
One day when he went to a bar and strike a conversation with the bartender Hasebe, he got a life changing advice. The Japanese culture that has been narrated in the story introduced me to something new. In few words, author has explained many things.
The overall narration of the story is nice. I really appreciate the writing skills of the author. Although it was a fiction, but this story gives a powerful message. A must read this is.
May 27, 2020
The Thirst is a story of a Branch Manager from Osaka, Japan who has worked really hard all his life. He even don't went on holidays. He didn't paid much heed to his family as well. All he was concerned about was his work.
When he was given an unwanted leave, he sinks into the alcoholic world. Kyousuke ended up in a bar and started drinking too much. The bartender Hasebe being concerned about him gave him an advice. Will Kyousuke take the advice of someone who is younger to him?
The story was short, to the point and an eye opener for me. The author story telling skills are fantastic as this gives me an overview of a Japanese workers life. The language of the book is error free. Do pick this pick whenever you want to read short story.
When he was given an unwanted leave, he sinks into the alcoholic world. Kyousuke ended up in a bar and started drinking too much. The bartender Hasebe being concerned about him gave him an advice. Will Kyousuke take the advice of someone who is younger to him?
The story was short, to the point and an eye opener for me. The author story telling skills are fantastic as this gives me an overview of a Japanese workers life. The language of the book is error free. Do pick this pick whenever you want to read short story.
May 28, 2020
After reading other work by Daniel, I knew I was in for something wonderful. However, I was not prepared for how poignant this short story would be. Following the day of a successful middle-aged salaryman, Kyousuke, The Thirst is a tale that speaks to all of the life we forget to live in the pursuit of the goals we thought we wanted to achieve. With vivid descriptions and a character in turmoil, The Thirst sucks readers into Kyousuke's life in Osaka and leaves their heart aching as much as his is. In a small number of words, Daniel portrays the inner conflict that Kyousoke struggles with and makes him painfully relatable. It was lovely to read this, and I'm sure I will come back to it again when I need a reminder of how important it is to remember to live while you chase your dreams.
April 26, 2020
I never give 5 stars unless it is the best book in the universe. I give it 3 stars out 4 because it was half things wrong with it and half things right about it. I am going to say the things wrong with it first. There was barely a setting. There was not enough description. It barely hooks me in. But eventually it hooked me at almost the end of the book. I hated the cover. It makes me dizzy. Here is what is right about the book. I love the characters and their interaction with each other. There was exceptionally good dialog. There was a storyline and a plot. I kind of like the ending.
May 9, 2020
This book was not up my alley. Granted I was overly tired when I read it and kept nodding off so I may not have taken in the structure of it well. All that being said I really admire this format. I felt very inspired to take on this challenge of a 15 page book. Thanks for the inspiration.
April 13, 2020
Inspiring Short Story
This was an interesting short story about taking advice from a friend and attempting to turn your life around. Life isn't all about work.
This was an interesting short story about taking advice from a friend and attempting to turn your life around. Life isn't all about work.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews