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Heaven: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize by [Mieko Kawakami, Sam Bett, David Boyd]

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Mieko Kawakami

Heaven: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize Kindle Edition

by Mieko Kawakami (Author), Sam Bett (Translator), David Boyd (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

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Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2022

From the bestselling author of Breasts and Eggs and international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami comes a sharp and illuminating novel about a fourteen-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying.

In Heaven, a fourteen-year-old boy is tormented for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, he chooses to suffer in silence. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate, Kojima, who experiences similar treatment at the hands of her bullies. Providing each other with immeasurable consolation at a time in their lives when they need it most, the two young friends grow closer than ever. But what, ultimately, is the nature of a friendship when your shared bond is terror?

Unflinching yet tender, sharply observed, intimate and multi-layered, this simple yet profound novel stands as yet another dazzling testament to Mieko Kawakami’s uncontainable talent. There can be little doubt that it has cemented her reputation as one of the most important young authors at work today.

TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2021.
'Mieko Kawakami is a genius' - Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times
'An expertly told, deeply unsettling tale of adolescent violence' - Vogue

Translated from the Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd.

Print length

181 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Picador
Publication date

10 Jun. 2021
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

2220 KB
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From the Publisher

Heaven, Mieko Kawakami, Breasts and Eggs, Picador

In Heaven, a fourteen-year old boy is tormented for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, he chooses to suffer in silence. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate, Kojima, who experiences similar treatment at the hands of her bullies. Providing each other with immeasurable consolation at a time in their lives when they need it most, the two young friends grow closer than ever. But what, ultimately, is the nature of a friendship when your shared bond is terror?

Product description

Book Description

MARKETING AND PUBLICITY

High-profile national and regional media
Galleys and e-galleys (Edelweiss, Netgalley) widely available
Author and translators available for interviews and features
Regional Fall show promotion
Indie Next List campaign
Booksellers outreach, blurbs
Author endorsements
Library marketing campaign

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

'Mieko Kawakami is a genius' - Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times

From the bestselling author of Breasts and Eggs and international literary sensation Mieko Kawakami, comes a sharp and illuminating novel about a fourteen-year-old boy subjected to relentless bullying.

In Heaven, a fourteen-year old boy is tormented for having a lazy eye. Instead of resisting, he chooses to suffer in silence. The only person who understands what he is going through is a female classmate, Kojima, who experiences similar treatment at the hands of her bullies. Providing each other with immeasurable consolation at a time in their lives when they need it most, the two young friends grow closer than ever. But what, ultimately, is the nature of a friendship when your shared bond is terror?

Unflinching yet tender, sharply observed, intimate and multi-layered, this simple yet profound novel stands as yet another dazzling testament to Mieko Kawakami’s uncontainable talent. There can be little doubt that it has cemented her reputation as one of the most important young authors at work today.

TIME's 100 Must-Read Books of 2021.
'An expertly told, deeply unsettling tale of adolescent violence' - Vogue --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Mieko Kawakami is the author of the internationally best-selling novel Breasts and Eggs, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and one of TIME’s Best 10 Books of 2020, and the highly-acclaimed Heaven, her second novel to be translated and published in English, which Oprah Daily described as written “with jagged, visceral beauty.” Born in Osaka, Japan, Kawakami made her literary debut as a poet in 2006, and in 2007 published her first novella, My Ego, My Teeth, and the World. Known for their poetic qualities, their insights into the female body, and their preoccupation with ethics and modern society, her books have been translated into over twenty languages. Kawakami’s literary awards include the Akutagawa Prize, the Tanizaki Prize, and the Murasaki Shikibu Prize. She lives in Tokyo, Japan.

Sam Bett studied Japanese at UMass-Amherst and Kwansei Gakuin University. Awarded the Grand Prize in the 2016 JLPP International Translation Competition, he has translated fiction by Yoko Ogawa, Yukio Mishima, and Nisio Isin. He is currently co-translating with David Boyd the novels of Mieko Kawakami.

David Boyd is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is the winner of the 2017/2018 Japan–U.S. Friendship Commission (JUSFC) Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature for his translation of Hideo Furukawa’s Slow Boat (Pushkin Press, 2017). With Sam Bett, he is currently co-translating the novels of Mieko Kawakami. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Review

Taking two outcast teens as its unhappy protagonists, it is an expertly told, deeply unsettling tale of adolescent violence that will, no doubt, only grow the author's fan base ― Vogue

This is the real magic of Heaven, which shows us how to think about morality as an ongoing, dramatic activity. -- Merve Emre ― New Yorker

To read Heaven, by the author of Breasts and Eggs, and newly translated into English from Japanese by Sam Bett and David Boyd, is to bear witness to an unrelenting horror film of one boy’s youth ― The Washington Post

The second novel to appear in English by the bestselling Japanese author Mieko Kawakami is tauter and even more perceptive than its predecessor . . . Heaven is less than half the length and holds double the emotional force ― New Statesman

For me this is a perfect novel, and one I know I will return to before long -- Megan Nolan, author of Acts of Desperation

Heaven is a thoughtful novel about the value of the flaws that make us who we are ― Literary Review

Short but assured. . .by the end, the reader is so dizzily absorbed in its visceral details and philosophical complexity that, when the twist comes, it hits you with a strange and unexpected force ― Financial Times

Impeccably translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, the book is full of masterly set pieces of violence, scenes of senseless bullying so lucid you can almost feel the pain yourself . . . ― New York Times Book Review

Heaven is told with astonishing frankness and economy. It will cut through all your defences down to every layer of fear, isolation, hope and need you’ve ever felt . . . Mieko Kawakami is a genius -- Naoise Dolan

A raw, painful, and tender portrait of adolescent misery, reminiscent of both Elena Ferrante's fiction . . . I cannot, in good conscience, endorse it without a warning: This book is very likely to make you cry ― NPR

Brilliant . . . This captivating, quietly devastating book is about the relationship between two school misfits. The same vulnerabilities that expose them to their tormentors allow them to see one another with a pure sort of attention -- Megan Nolan ― New Statesman

In this horror film, oblivious authority figures walk on by as you grope for breath, wondering what it even means to be alive and free ― Independent

Simple and profound, Heaven is an undeniable masterpiece -- Mitsuyoshi Numano

A poignant odyssey into the haunted caverns of adolescence . . . Kawakami writes with jagged, visceral beauty about those early antagonists we carry around in our heads, scars we bear into adulthood, ‘caught in the undertow’ of hormones and sorrow ― Oprah Daily

Mieko Kawakami pulls from the all too familiar places we learn to accept as normal in our youth and gives them to us to reflect on as adults in a painful yet necessary way. Even if we could never learn the absolute truths behind humans' capacity for violence as well as empathy, we are certainly closer now with Heaven -- An Yu, author of Braised Pork

Kawakami unflinchingly takes the reader through the abyss of depraved, dehumanizing behavior with keen psychological insight, brilliant sensitivity, and compassionate understanding. With this, the author’s star continues to rise ― Publishers Weekly

Mieko Kawakami has spun a poignant tale on the theme of bullying . . . Heaven is a tour de force ― Tokyo Shimbun

Heaven covers new terrain, masterfully broadening the literary landscape ― Yomiuri Shimbun

Kawakami has a unique knack for burrowing into discomfort, and she does it in a startlingly graceful way. Like her last novel―an unsparing treatise on the pressures of being a woman in male-dominated Japan―this book isn’t for the fainthearted. Told from the perspective of a 14-year-old boy in present-day Japan, Kawakami’s tale follows the volatile lives of two teenagers relentlessly bullied by their peers . . . An unexpected classic ― Kirkus

Rises above the philosophical questions at its depths and delivers the reader to a devastating conclusion ― Elle Japan

Kawakami’s powerful and unassuming novel explores horrific accounts of bullying in a Japanese school . . . Her sensitive, evocative storytelling sets her apart as an incredible literary talent ― BookList

Kawakami is a writer who doesn’t shy away from hard truths and painful experiences, soHeaven will not be an easy read, but it’s guaranteed to be a rewarding one ― The Japan Times

It is difficult to write young voices well: easy to forget how smart teenagers are, or to portray them in terms of what adults might wish for them. Mieko Kawakami, however, is adept at understanding their perspective and capturing the despair and intractability of those difficult years . . . As with Kawakami's previously translated work, Breasts and Eggs, this is an adroit novel of real feeling and insight from a writer who wants her readers to think for themselves -- Rónán Hession ― Irish Times

Mesmerizing . . . Kawakami is a master of the interior voice. There is something about her prose that is so immediate and pressing it blocks out the future almost as if it were a threatening force. We are forced to deal with her characters as they are living now: alone, vulnerable, and unprotected ― World Literature Today

These raw and realistic portrayals of bullying are counterbalanced by textured exposition of the philosophical and religious debates concerning violence to which the weak are subjected ― Paperback Paris

Moving and intelligent. Kawakami gives us characters who speak to the heart and illustrate in one form or another the dilemma facing everyone in adolescence. Hopeful yet chilling in equal measures ― American Booksellers Association

Heaven takes on the issue of bullying, and why a victim might choose not to fight back. Two teenagers bond over their torment, and their passive response reveals many kinds of societal injustice ― Washington Post

This sharp new novel from Mieko Kawakami [is] a sucker-punch of a story that implores you to question even your own morality ― Cosmopolitan

With grace and clarity, Kawakami explores destructive nature of adolescent violence, and the power of empathetic friendships ― The Millions

How can a relationship really last when its foundation is built on shared experiences of humiliation? The author moves toward an answer in this quietly devastating tale of middle school drama ― TIME

If you enjoyed Mieko Kawakami’s brilliant Breasts and Eggs, you’re certain to be astonished by her latest novel exploring violence and bullying with fierce, feminist and damning candor ― Ms. Magazine

While Kawakami refuses to give us answers, the elegance and care with which she describes her characters’ lives invite the reader to ask such questions of themselves. This is not a cruel story, but rather one that understands hurt and pain for what it is: universal, unjust and material for new life ― BookPage

Mieko Kawakami is the reigning queen of contemporary Japanese literature for good reason ― Japan Times

Kawakami is taking the reader by the hand and guiding us through someone’s small, interior life as a method of contemplating wide-ranging, universal issues such as the body, ethics, and meaning ― Bad Form Review

A poignant and unsettling look at what makes a friendship and, on a macro level, what makes an unequal society. Kawakami’s writing is meticulous and assured, and Heaven leaves a bruise ― The Skinny

Exceptional -- David Hayden ― White Review 'Books of the Year' --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08NJZBX69
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Picador (10 Jun. 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2220 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 181 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 10,549 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 437 in Coming of Age Fiction (Kindle Store)
- 1,197 in Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)
- 1,545 in Literary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
749 ratings

About the authors

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Sam Bett
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Writer of fiction and essays and Japanese translator, specializing in literary fiction, fashion and the arts.
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Mieko Kawakami
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Mieko Kawakami is the acclaimed author of the international bestseller Breasts and Eggs. Born in Osaka, Japan, Kawakami made her literary debut as a poet and published her first novella, My Ego, My Teeth, and the World, in 2007. Her books, translated into over 20 languages, are known for their poetic qualities, insights into the female body, and preoccupation with ethics and modern society. Kawakami’s literary awards include the Akutagawa Prize, the Tanizaki Prize, and the Murasaki Shikibu Prize. Heaven, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, is on the shortlist for the 2022 International Booker Prize. Her most recent novel that has been translated into English is All the Lovers in the Night. She lives in Tokyo.
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Mieko Kawakami
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Customer reviews

5 star		49%
4 star		30%
3 star		18%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Great quality book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2022

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I am very surprised by the quality of this book. The cover the pages excellent quality.
Excellent book by Mirko Kawaksmi writing about problems young people have in an eye opening and gripping way.
Didn’t disappoint even at the price point £10 ( I don’t usually pay this much but would recommended to anyone.

7 people found this helpful

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Gigi

Awestruck!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 September 2021

Verified Purchase

I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while now so I finally caved in and bought it. It arrived the next day after ordering, packaged securely and no markings or scuffs on the book at all, it’s in perfect condition.

The book itself has sensitive content so please be aware of what you’re buying before actually buying it. I think the book was really eye opening to me and it hits you with the reality, it’s brutal. Nonetheless, I think the book was good and it was a very interesting read!

6 people found this helpful

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Al

Hard read but incredibly perceptive

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2022

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This not a pleasant read. At times you'll question 'why put yourself' through this.' It's an assault course of a strange type of reality. Once started you have to stay the course. Brilliant.

2 people found this helpful

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D. Brown

Somehow gripping

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 August 2022

Verified Purchase

This is a lovely book, wonderful translation. I couldn't put it down towards the end. It's not the sort of book I normally read but I'm very glad I did.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2022

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Fearsome bullying and the devastation wreaked upon the victims.Not the cheeriest read but frank and incisive and shot through with Japanese mysticism

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Daniel

So well translated that you'd think the author's native tongue was English.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 July 2022

Verified Purchase

It's a book about severe bullying, what else can you say.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2022

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Beautiful book and challenging read in parts .

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 June 2021

TW: Bullying, violence

This was a very different read from her other novel Breasts and eggs. It is a short book, around 170 pages, and I found myself binge reading it despite the theme.

The story is set in the early 90s and the bullying described in this book is quite descriptive and violent, it was very uncomfortable to read. It gave me déjà vu, as I was bullied in school around the same years where this novel takes place, and it was excruciating having to deal with that for years until I stood up to them. The bullying I received then was quite light compared to what is described in this book. It was making my blood boil.

The book tries to explore why a group of students decide to bully a couple of students. However, I think it falls a bit as that is quite superficial, and it goes around in circles kind of validating that the bullying was ok rather than exploring why it wasn’t. One of the main characters was challenging this discussion on why it had to happen but never really had depth, so I was disappointed that this wasn’t explored further. Bullying is not ok in any circumstance, not 30 years ago and not now.

Nevertheless, I am glad that this author is exploring certain themes in her books, challenging society.

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Heaven: Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize Kindle Edition

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