The Nakano Thrift Shop

The Nakano Thrift Shop / Hiromi Kawakami; translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell
Farmington Hills, Michigan :, Thorndike Press, 2018, c2016.
347 p.

I read this book in large print, as that was the edition in my library. I rather like its cover!

And I was very glad to finally have access to this book, which I've wanted to read since it was first translated. It's the story of four people; Hitomi & Takeo,two employees of the Nakano Thrift Shop; the owner Mr. Nakano, and the owner's sister, Masayo.

Hitomi, the main character, is in her 20s and is rather directionless. She takes a job in the Nakano Thrift Shop, and gets to know both Mr. Nakano and Takeo, around her age and a quiet person who helps with pickups. 

The story weaves their lives together, alongside the varied objects that show up in the shop -- each chapter is named for a specific item in the thrift shop, and we learn the object's story as well as how it interacts with the lives of our four characters. 

It was a light read, easy to skim, even though there are a few dark moments in the stories we are told. Takeo and Hitomi begin a sort-of relationship, although Takeo has issues he needs to deal with and can't quite give Hitomi the relationship she's looking for.

Mr. Nakano, meanwhile, is quite a ladies man, with a wife and numerous mistresses. He is open about his sex life with Hitomi and Takeo, and even gives Hitomi an erotic manuscript written by his mistress for her to read. Okay, talk about sexual harassment in the workplace! Even though he isn't interested in Hitomi in a sexual way, I still thought that this was a bit over the top, and certainly wouldn't be found in a contemporary North American novel, at least not in this innocuous way. 

Masayo, his sister, is an artist and has her own relationships, though she's never married. She and Hitomi hit it off and begin to share parts of their lives. 

All of the characters are at some kind of change point in their lives, but they are also a bit frozen in their current situations. Near the end everything changes and the storyline leaps forward a year or two, at which point we meet the characters again in their new arrangements. 

Many other people have reviewed this title and given it in-depth and considered discussion. If you'd like to delve into a deeper examination of the themes and variations in the story you can check out some of the many reviews already out there -- I didn't take a lot of extra time to untangle the many threads of the story or wonder about the whys and wherefores. I read this in an afternoon, and enjoyed it -- but found that it didn't engage me in a serious way, or a way that made me really think about it deeply. And perhaps that was just the mood of the moment, reading it on a lazy summer afternoon!

So I'd say read it for a light and interesting story, for some fascinating characters and a great setting, especially if you like Japanese literature and a youthful sensibility.  It makes me want to pick up more of her work.