"The Dilemmas of Working Women is a delight. With acute insight and sly humor, Fumio Yamamoto depicts the lives of modern Japanese women in all their complexity. The characters, in their quirky idiosyncrasies, are deeply familiar; their stoicisms, heartbreaking. A colloquial and breezy translation that does not read as such." - Yoon Choi, award-winning author of Skinship "What an engaging, witty, and unique book. So brilliantly written that I kept trying to memorize sentences in order to repeat them to people later. What a win for the English language that we're finally getting to experience Yamamoto's inimitable voice." - Roxy Dunn, author of As Young as This "Witty, wise and thought-provoking, these darkly comic stories portray five unique women as they deal with the societal pressures that come with being a woman in their world.
" - Cecelia Ahern, bestselling author of P.S. I Love You "Here are people caught between loss and regeneration. The struggles of their forlorn hearts are depicted with a light, graceful touch. There will come a point in all of our lives when we will need Fumio Yamamoto's writing." - Saou Ichikawa, author of the National Book Award and International Booker Prize-longlisted Hunchback "Engaging, witty, and unique. What a win for the English language that we're finally getting to experience Yamamoto's inimitable voice." - Roxy Dunn, author of As Young as This "Audacious.
Many of Yamamoto's empathic characters--even a quarter-century after their debut--remain timeless figures of strength and resilience." - Shelf Awareness "A biting commentary against capitalism and the over-valuing of productivity, these five stories play with social expectations, everyday rebellions and what it means to be a working woman in a patriarchal society." - Ms. magazine "Funny, at times self-deprecating, and unafraid to lean into the darkness, Fumio Yamamoto's masterpiece is sure to find resonance with readers today." - Chicago Review of Books "A powerful and delightful read." - Asian Review of Books "Now offered in translation for the first time, this collection featuring women navigating societal expectations (and their small rebellions) is a classic. The author brings complexity, emotion, and a delicate touch to extremely relatable characters." - Boston Globe "Brian Bergstrom .
meticulously translates this audacious five-story collection populated by women bluntly eschewing expectations. The narrators here--four women, one man--each face complex decisions on the cusp of major change. That Yamamoto writes solely in first-person cleverly encourages immediate engagement for readers, creating an instant gateway into the intimacies of these characters' lives. In upsetting and challenging the venerable institution, many of Yamamoto's empathic characters--even a quarter-century after their debut--remain timeless figures of strength and resilience." - Shelf Awareness "First published 25 years ago in Japan, this award-winning best-seller captures the modern woman in a dark, unflinching portrait. Messy, mundane, and a bit self-deprecating, Yamamoto's stories remind readers that they are not alone in life's bleakness." - Booklist "The Dilemmas of Working Women provides a curious look into the interior lives of Japanese women and the ambivalence of modern life. Funny, at times self-deprecating, and unafraid to lean into the darkness, Fumio Yamamoto's masterpiece is sure to find resonance with readers today.
" - The Chicago Review of Books.