The release date for the English version of 'Silk' by
Alessandro Baricco is Aug 1998. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
The young trader Herve Joncour leaves his devoted wife and his cozy house in the little hamlet of Lavilledieu when an epidemic threatens to ruin the silk trade in France. He then journeys via Siberia to Japan, the other end of the earth, to get eggs for a new silk worm breeding program. Since Japan is restricted to outsiders in the 1860s, this must be a covert effort. While conducting covert talks with the local baron, Joncour's focus is diverted by the man's non-Oriental concubine. Over the course of the Frenchman's four journeys to Japan, love blooms between him and the girl despite their inability to speak a word to one another. This is shown via many romantic notes. The story of their covert relationship is presented in a way that is as exquisite, fluid, and flawless as a piece of the finest silk.