Title: Four seasons in Japan
Author: Nick Bradley
Publishing Date: 22.06.2023
Flo is sick of Tokyo. She is stuck in a rut, her translation work has dried up, and she’s in a relationship that’s run its course. That’s until she stumbles upon a mysterious book left by a drunken passenger on the Tokyo Subway. From the very first page, Flo is transformed and immediately feels compelled to translate this forgotten novel, a decision which sets her on a path that will change her life…
It is a story about Ayako, a fierce and strict old woman who runs a coffee shop in the small town of Onomichi, where she has just taken guardianship of her grandson, Kyo. Haunted by long-buried family tragedy, both have suffered extreme loss and feel unable to open up to each other.
As Flo follows the characters across a year in rural Japan, through the ups and downs of the pair’s burgeoning relationship, she quickly realises that she needs to venture outside the pages of the book to track down its elusive author. And, as her two protagonists reveal themselves to have more in common with her life than first meets the eye, the lines between text and translator converge. The journey is just beginning.
I’m so glad i had the opportunity to read Four seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley. It was a relaxing light read. The writing style is so beautiful, exactly like those japanese poems. I will definitely read his other book, The cat and the city.
In this book, we find Flo, whose life is falling apart. She feels like she is at a crossroad, and any decision she takes, she doesn’t think she will see any light at the end of the tunnel. Luckily, she finds a book about a grandmother, Ayako, and her grandson, Kyo. As we know, in Japan, the family put the accent on the career, and so is Kyo’s family. After failing to enter at medicine, he needs to live with Ayako. We follow their dynamic, their different thinking, their regrets and how they will accept each other.
I loved reading Four seasons in Japan. I am a big fan of this country, its traditions and culture. Finding those things in the book was a pleasure. I can’t wait to see what his next book will be.
BRADLEY holds a PhD from UEA focussing on the figure of the cat in Japanese literature. He lived in Japan for a decade, but currently teaches on the Creative Writing master’s programme at the University of Cambridge. His debut novel, The Cat and The City, was published in 2020 to widespread critical acclaim.
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