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Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi
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Diary of a Void

A hilarious, feminist read from the new star of Japanese fiction
Due to publisher restrictions, this audiobook is unavailable for purchase in your selected country.
Narrator Nancy Wu

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Length 4 hours 37 minutes
Language English
Translators Lucy North & David Boyd
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Brought to you by Penguin.

A prizewinning, thrillingly subversive debut novel about a woman in Japan who avoids harassment at work by perpetuating, for nine months and beyond, the lie that she's pregnant


When thirty-four-year-old Ms Shibata gets a new job in Tokyo to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that, as the only woman at her new workplace - a company that manufactures cardboard tubes - she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can't clear away her colleagues' dirty cups - because she's pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms Shibata is not pregnant.

Pregnant Ms Shibata doesn't have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms Shibata isn't forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms Shibata rests, watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. But pregnant Ms Shibata also has a nine-month ruse to keep up. Helped along by towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app on which she can log every stage of her 'pregnancy', she feels prepared to play the game for the long haul. Before long, though, the hoax becomes all-absorbing, and the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.

A surreal and wryly humorous cultural critique, Diary of a Void is bound to become a landmark in feminist world literature.

ยฉ Emi Yagi 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Emi Yagi is an editor at a women's magazine in Japan. She was born in 1988 and lives in Tokyo. Diary of a Void is her first novel; it won the Osamu Dazai Prize, awarded annually to the best debut work of fiction.

Lucy North is a British translator of Japanese fiction and non-fiction. She has translated works by Taeko Kono, Hiromi Kawakami, Fumiko Enchi and Natsuko Imamura.

David Boyd is assistant professor of Japanese at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has translated fiction by Hiroko Oyamada and Hideo Furukawa, among others.

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Audiobook details

Author:

Narrator:
Nancy Wu

ISBN:
9781529194814

Length:
4 hours 37 minutes

Language:
English

Publisher:
Random House

Publication date:

Edition:
Unabridged

Libro.fm rank:
#36,678 Overall

Genre rank:
#3,515 in Fiction - Literary

Illustration of person opening a gift

The perfect last-minute gift

Audiobook credit bundles can be delivered instantly, given worldwide, and support local bookstores!

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Phone showing make the switch message

Limited-time offer

Get two free audiobooks!

Nowโ€™s a great time to shop indie. When you start a new one credit per month membership supporting local bookstores with promo code SWITCH, weโ€™ll give you two bonus audiobook credits at sign-up.

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Reviews

The tension grows along with the comedic details. . . . Diary of a Void starts as stylish satire... but it becomes something even more profound. Always expect the unexpected when you're not expecting. A subversive, surreal read that will strike a cord. One of the most passionate cases I've ever read for female interiority, for women's creative pulse and rich inner life. Endlessly strange, funny and meaningful... This book is a powerful exploration of what it means to be single and childless, and of the impact of work on our bodies and mental health If you're in the mood for a matter-of-fact and incredibly thought-provoking read, you'll love Yagi's writing. Expand reviews
The perfect last-minute gift Shop credit bundles