ギンイロノウタ

by Sayaka Murata, 村田 沙耶香

極端に臆病な幼い有里の初恋の相手は、文房具屋で買った銀のステッキだった。アニメの魔法使いみたいに杖をひと振り、押入れの暗闇に銀の星がきらめき、無数の目玉が少女を秘密の快楽へ誘う。クラスメイトにステッキが汚され、有里が憎しみの化け物と化すまでは……。少女の孤独に巣くう怪物を描く表題作と、殺意と恋愛でつむぐ女子大生の物語「ひかりのあしおと」。衝撃の2編。

217 pages, Hardcover

Published October 30, 2008

About the author

Sayaka Murata (in Japanese, 村田 沙耶香) is one of the most exciting up-and-coming writers in Japan today.
She herself still works part time in a convenience store, which gave her the inspiration to write Convenience Store Woman (Konbini Ningen). She debuted in 2003 with Junyu (Breastfeeding), which won the Gunzo Prize for new writers. In 2009 she won the Noma Prize for New Writers with Gin iro no uta (Silver Song), and in 2013 the Mishima Yukio Prize for Shiro-oro no machi no, sono hone no taion no (Of Bones, of Body Heat, of Whitening City). Convenience Store Woman won the 2016 Akutagawa Award. Murata has two short stories published in English (both translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori): "Lover on the Breeze" (Ruptured Fiction(s) of the Earthquake, Waseda Bungaku, 2011) and "A Clean Marriage" (Granta 127: Japan, 2014).

Reviews

[Yuko Shimizu]

I have been obsessively reading Miura since I first encountered Convenience Store Woman. What a genius of a writer who tackles today's societal problems in the most unexpected fresh way, often with lots of humor. Her writings always blow my mind away.

This book was a bit of a tough read. This is one of her earlier books which includes two novellas that tackle the theme of school bullying, dysfunctional family relationships, depression, and other mental illnesses.
They are so very well written, but they don't yet have the Murata humor that will start appearing in her later books. The result is very dark and heavy. It is still worth reading, but please be mentally prepared.

There are details that will appear in her later books like a magic wand inspired by anime like in 丸の内魔法少女ミラクリーナ, working at a convenience store, etc. Nice to see these little easter eggs knowing they will reappear a lot more refined in her later books.

[Emi]

この表紙好き。
表題作と「ひかりのあしおと」の2編。どちらも一言で言ってしまえばメンヘラの女の子のお話。どちらもタイプは違えど母親が哀れ。