2022 Desmond Elliott Prize (nominee)
2021 Costa Book Award for Best First Novel (nominee)
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD
"What is the cost of a mother’s desire?...Emily Itami explores this question with wit and poignancy." -- New York Times Book Review
"The perfect marriage of Sally Rooney and early Murakami." -- Kathy Wang, author of Impostor Syndrome
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.
Then, one rainy night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives—and in the end, we can choose only one.
Funny, provocative, and startlingly honest, Fault Lines is for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, who am I and how did I get here? A bittersweet love story and a piercing portrait of female identity, it introduces Emily Itami as a debut novelist with astounding resonance and wit.
Genre: Literary Fiction
"What is the cost of a mother’s desire?...Emily Itami explores this question with wit and poignancy." -- New York Times Book Review
"The perfect marriage of Sally Rooney and early Murakami." -- Kathy Wang, author of Impostor Syndrome
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.
Then, one rainy night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives—and in the end, we can choose only one.
Funny, provocative, and startlingly honest, Fault Lines is for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, who am I and how did I get here? A bittersweet love story and a piercing portrait of female identity, it introduces Emily Itami as a debut novelist with astounding resonance and wit.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Praise for this book
"An utterly accomplished novel that navigates the inner yearnings of the heart in stylish, sparky and engrossing prose. I absolutely loved it." - Megan Bradbury
"An addictive and beautiful novel with a fantastic voice, full of wry humour and sharp observations. It's funny and tragic, passionate and bold, and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come." - Kate Murray-Browne
"A brilliant modern love story. I found it atmospheric and transporting but also wise, clever and universal in its exploration of love, family and identity. I loved it." - Cathy Rentzenbrink
"An addictive and beautiful novel with a fantastic voice, full of wry humour and sharp observations. It's funny and tragic, passionate and bold, and I know I'll be thinking about it for a long time to come." - Kate Murray-Browne
"A brilliant modern love story. I found it atmospheric and transporting but also wise, clever and universal in its exploration of love, family and identity. I loved it." - Cathy Rentzenbrink
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