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Dec 11, 2018jimg2000 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The first story is clearly a satire mocking an indifferent husband. And as the rest of the chapters unfold, can't help but feel the immense gender divide in the Japanese society, particularly the loneliness of midlife women in a man's world. Only one of the 11 essays involved children and it was of a very dark nature. With the exception in the Q&A chapter, they came across as wacky (esoteric per Kirkus review) tales of loneliness told by troubled women but written (translated) in prose by high school students. However, to be fair, around the world, there are plenty of married men who behave as depicted. Worth a quick read.