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“Elegantly understated…Matsuie, renowned as an editor (of Haruki Murakami, among other writers) before becoming an author, delivers a simple but graceful tale that’s full of intriguing asides on architecture…A novel packed with ideas about art, life, and love.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Matsuie’s Yomiuri Prize for Literature–winning debut examines the influence of Western culture on postwar Japan and the clash of modernity and tradition.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“The more I read, the more I fell in love with this beautiful novel…Its foremost charm is the fluent, clean-cut use of words. Nothing in Matsuie’s descriptions is superfluous, nor is anything missing, and the refreshing vitality of his prose is impressive…The birth of such a writer is cause for celebration.” —Hiromi Kawakami, author of Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop