The Octopus

On the small fishing island of Himakajima, lost in Mikawa Bay, life flows calmly and boringly. Tourists here are rare, there aren’t many sights— зато местного колориту хоть отбавляй. Into this unfamiliar, surprising for a foreigner way of life plunges a young man from Russia. Still, he won’t have time to get bored—because the season of typhoons is coming to the island. What have the gods prepared for the heroes—those mysterious kami-sama? Are the frightening legends the local fishermen tell true? And is it really true that a terrible tsunami is approaching Himakajima? Will the heroes be able to change fate, hear their own hearts, understand what is truly priceless—and what is only water dust dispersing in impenetrable darkness, and clay shards from a broken octopus trap… “Anait Grigoryan constantly opens the bamboo blinds and explains little details of Japanese everyday life to the reader, peeks into the insides of a street vending machine, eavesdrops on ordinary Japanese people—where refined politeness and impudence coexist paradoxically—and in short, allows you to peek into the Japanese world, Japanese culture, and even see the Japanese soul through the eyes of a Russian expat.” — Vladislav Tolstoy, book reviewer.