Emily Itami’s debut novel is sexy, laugh-out-loud funny, and full of prose as sumptuous as the yakitori, onigiri, and bento described.
Mizuki, mother of two and wife to the hardworking and emotionally remote Tatsuya, has a lot going for her—financial security, a pretty apartment, and cute kids. But days filled with laundry and lunches and a marriage devoid of romance leave her deeply depressed. “My children,” she reflects. “My life’s work, my greatest loves, orchestrators of total psychological trauma and everyday destruction.”
Kiyoshi, Mizuki’s love interest, is an entrepreneurial restaurateur, which is a stark juxtaposition with her husband, Tatsuya, who works in a big corporation. Why did you choose that career path for him and how did you go about researching the character? From Mizuki preparing bento for her kids to a fancy business dinner at one of Kiyoshi’s restaurants, food scenes are peppered throughout the book. Why was that such a big part of the narrative?
Yes! Instead of coffee and biscuits, I would always drink green tea, because my grandma is a matcha teacher, with dorayaki. And I ate rice all the time.