Fault Lines

Combining the witty humor of Helen Fielding with the cutting intimacy of Sally Rooney, this debut novel about marriage, parenthood, love, self, and the dynamic, surprising metropolis of modern Tokyo is incredibly accessible and engrossing to read.

Mizuki is a homemaker from Japan. She possesses a stunning Tokyo apartment, two cute children, and a diligent husband. Even though she has everything she could possibly want, there are moments when a woman questions whether she would prefer jump off a tall building or spend one more evening hanging laundry and not talking to her spouse.

She then meets Kiyoshi, a prosperous restaurant, one wet night. She finds freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved all over again in him. But as their connection progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious that she is leading two lives, and ultimately, we are only able to select one.

Fault Lines is a humorous, thought-provoking, and shockingly honest book for anybody who has ever wondered themselves, "Who am I and how did I get here?" after glancing in the mirror. It presents Emily Itami as a first novelist with remarkable resonance and humor. It is a sad love story and a penetrating depiction of feminine identity.