In the Airport

Ryu Murakami’s world fame was cemented by the novel “Children from the Lost-and-Found Locker,” in which the writer showed Japan’s grim side without embellishment. In the collection of stories “In the Airport,” the tone is noticeably softer; by mood and intonation, the book is often compared to Haruki Murakami’s “First-Person Singular.”

These texts form a mosaic of scenes—like something accidentally overheard and seen in a bar, karaoke room, banquet hall, or at the airport. The characters increasingly feel a hopelessness and realize that in a country where “there is everything,” the most important thing has somehow gone missing—hope. Neither work, nor relationships, nor fleeting acquaintances can fill the inner emptiness. And yet, it is precisely in the fractures of ordinary life that tiny sparks sometimes show through: a sudden urge to start drawing again, a confession of feelings, a decision to leave in order to try to begin anew.

“In the Airport” is a book about escaping into oneself and about the first breath before the decisive step.

Michi’s white cat is the talisman of the series. Together with you, it will set off on a bookish journey across Asia: from alluring Japan to mysterious Taiwan. With it, you can share the impressions of what you’ve read.

In the series, the following books have already been published:
Haruki Murakami
– “The Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage”
– “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”
– “First-Person Singular”
– “Dance, Dance, Dance”
– “Slow Boat to China”
– “Firefly and Other Stories”
Ryu Murakami
– “Children from the Lost-and-Found Locker”
Edogawa Rampo
– “The Monster in the Darkness”
Mori Ogai
– “The Dancing Girl”
Fumiko Enchi
– “The City of Devotion”
Teru Miyamoto
– “Patterned Silk”