The Woman in the Purple Skirt
A Novel
(Sprache: Englisch)
A taut and compelling depiction of loneliness and obsession. --Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train
[It] will keep you firmly in its grip. --Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My...
[It] will keep you firmly in its grip. --Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My...
lieferbar
versandkostenfrei
Buch (Gebunden)
21.23 €
- Lastschrift, Kreditkarte, Paypal, Rechnung
- Kostenlose Rücksendung
Produktdetails
Produktinformationen zu „The Woman in the Purple Skirt “
Klappentext zu „The Woman in the Purple Skirt “
A taut and compelling depiction of loneliness and obsession. --Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train[It] will keep you firmly in its grip. --Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
The love child of Eugene Ionesco and Patricia Highsmith. --Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get in Trouble
A bestselling, prizewinning novel by one of Japan's most acclaimed young writers, for fans of Convenience Store Woman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and the movies Parasite and Rear Window
I think what I'm trying to say is that I've been wanting to become friends with the Woman in the Purple Skirt for a very long time...
Almost every afternoon, the Woman in the Purple Skirt sits on the same park bench, where she eats a cream bun while the local children make a game of trying to get her attention. Unbeknownst to her, she is being watched--by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who is always perched just out of sight, monitoring which buses she takes, what she eats, whom she speaks to.
From a distance, the Woman in the Purple Skirt looks like a schoolgirl, but there are age spots on her face, and her hair is dry and stiff. She is single, she lives in a small apartment, and she is short on money--just like the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who lures her to a job as a housekeeper at a hotel, where she too is a housekeeper. Soon, the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss and all eyes are on her. But no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.
Studiously deadpan and chillingly voyeuristic, and with the off-kilter appeal of the novels of Ottessa Moshfegh, The Woman in the Purple Skirt explores envy, loneliness, power dynamics, and the vulnerability of unmarried women in a taut, suspenseful narrative about the sometimes desperate desire to be seen.
Lese-Probe zu „The Woman in the Purple Skirt “
There's a person living not too far from me known as the Woman in the Purple Skirt. She only ever wears a purple-colored skirt-which is why she has this name.At first I thought the Woman in the Purple Skirt must be a young girl. This is probably because she is small and delicate looking, and because she has long hair that hangs down loosely over her shoulders. From a distance, you'd be forgiven for thinking she was about thirteen. But look carefully, from up close, and you see she's not young-far from it. She has age spots on her cheeks, and that shoulder-length black hair is not glossy-it's quite dry and stiff. About once a week, the Woman in the Purple Skirt goes to a bakery in the local shopping district and buys herself a little custard-filled cream bun. I always pretend to be taking my time deciding which pastries to buy, but in reality I'm getting a good look at her. And as I watch, I think to myself: She reminds me of somebody. But who?
There's even a bench, a special bench in the local park, that's known as the Woman in the Purple Skirt's Exclusively Reserved Seat. It's one of three benches on the park's south side-the farthest from the entrance.
On certain days, I've seen the Woman in the Purple Skirt purchase her cream bun from the bakery, walk through the shopping district, and head straight for the park. The time is just past three in the afternoon. The evergreen oaks that border the south side of the park provide shade for the Exclusively Reserved Seat. The Woman in the Purple Skirt sits down in the middle of the bench and proceeds to eat her cream bun, holding one hand cupped underneath it, in case any of the custard filling spills onto her lap. After gazing for a second or two at the top of the bun, which is decorated with sliced almonds, she pops that too into her mouth, and proceeds to chew her last mouthful particularly slowly and lingeringly.
As I watch her, I think to
... mehr
myself:
I know: the Woman in the Purple Skirt bears a resemblance to my sister! Of course, I'm aware that she is not actually my sister. Their faces are totally different.
But my sister was also one of those people who take their time with that last mouthful. Normally mild mannered, and happy to let me, the younger of the two of us, prevail in any of our sibling squabbles, my sister was a complete obsessive when it came to food. Her favorite was purin-the caramel custard cups available at every supermarket and convenience store. After eating it, she would often stare for ten, even twenty minutes at the caramel sauce, just dipping the little plastic spoon into it. I remember once, unable to bear it, swiping the cup out of her hands. "Give it to me, if you're not going to eat it!" The fight that ensued-stuff pulled to the floor, furniture tipped over . . . I still have scars on my upper arms from her scratches, and I'm sure she still has the teeth marks I left on her thumb. It's been twenty years since my parents divorced and the family broke apart. I wonder where my sister is now, and what she's doing. Here I am thinking she still loves purin, but who knows, things change, and she too has probably changed.
If the Woman in the Purple Skirt bears a resemblance to my sister, then maybe that means she is like me . . . ? No? But it's not as if we have nothing in common. For now, let's just say she's the Woman in the Purple Skirt, and I'm the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan.
Unfortunately, no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.
When the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan goes out walking in the shopping district, nobody pays the slightest bit of attention. But when the Woman in the Purple Skirt goes out, it's impossible not to pay attention. Nobody could ignore her.
Say if she were to appear at the other end of the arcade. Everybody woul
I know: the Woman in the Purple Skirt bears a resemblance to my sister! Of course, I'm aware that she is not actually my sister. Their faces are totally different.
But my sister was also one of those people who take their time with that last mouthful. Normally mild mannered, and happy to let me, the younger of the two of us, prevail in any of our sibling squabbles, my sister was a complete obsessive when it came to food. Her favorite was purin-the caramel custard cups available at every supermarket and convenience store. After eating it, she would often stare for ten, even twenty minutes at the caramel sauce, just dipping the little plastic spoon into it. I remember once, unable to bear it, swiping the cup out of her hands. "Give it to me, if you're not going to eat it!" The fight that ensued-stuff pulled to the floor, furniture tipped over . . . I still have scars on my upper arms from her scratches, and I'm sure she still has the teeth marks I left on her thumb. It's been twenty years since my parents divorced and the family broke apart. I wonder where my sister is now, and what she's doing. Here I am thinking she still loves purin, but who knows, things change, and she too has probably changed.
If the Woman in the Purple Skirt bears a resemblance to my sister, then maybe that means she is like me . . . ? No? But it's not as if we have nothing in common. For now, let's just say she's the Woman in the Purple Skirt, and I'm the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan.
Unfortunately, no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.
When the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan goes out walking in the shopping district, nobody pays the slightest bit of attention. But when the Woman in the Purple Skirt goes out, it's impossible not to pay attention. Nobody could ignore her.
Say if she were to appear at the other end of the arcade. Everybody woul
... weniger
Autoren-Porträt von Natsuko Imamura
Natsuko Imamura is one of Japan's most exciting writers. Nominated three times for the Akutagawa Prize, the most prestigious literary award in Japan, she won it in 2019 for The Woman in the Purple Skirt. A self-professed fan of Yoko Ogawa's, she has been called "a second Sayaka Murata" (the author of Convenience Store Woman) for her use of acerbic humor and satire. Born in Hiroshima, she now lives in Osaka with her husband and their daughter. Like the main character in The Woman in the Purple Skirt, she has worked in a hotel as a housekeeper.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Natsuko Imamura
- 2021, 224 Seiten, Maße: 11,9 x 19,2 cm, Gebunden, Englisch
- Übersetzer: Lucy North
- Verlag: Penguin Random House
- ISBN-10: 014313602X
- ISBN-13: 9780143136026
- Erscheinungsdatum: 17.07.2021
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
One of NPR s and Marie Claire s Best Books of the YearNamed a Best Book of the Summer by Elle, Vulture, Oprah Daily, Chicago Tribune, CrimeReads, International Business Times, Palm Beach Daily News, and Refinery29
I m a sucker for tales about female friendships that slide into obsession. . . . Not just another cheap thriller with a you can t trust anyone conceit, Imamura s latest is like Anita Brookner s Look at Me, reimagined by a surrealist. Hillary Kelly, Vulture
[A] hair-raising tale of psychological suspense. Oprah Daily
As unusual as it is alluring. Elle
Deadpan and disturbing, Imamura s novel explores the tangled roots of female invisibility and visibility, while taking the reader on a journey into the fascinating world of hotel housekeeping in Japan. NPR
An unsettling story of obsession that you never see coming. Chicago Tribune
Delightfully disturbing . . . Imamura does weird singularly well, and keeps the suspense taut throughout the novel, always teasing an answer to the questions: Why this woman? What makes her so special? What makes any of us worth watching at all? Refinery29
A tale of slapstick and stalking . . . An off-kilter farce, in which the protagonist s poker-faced lack of embarrassment heightens the comedy . . . This book won Japan s prestigious Akutagawa Prize, also awarded to Sayaka Murata, the author of the bestselling Convenience Store Woman and Earthlings, with whose dislocated protagonists Imamura s narrator shares more than a shred of DNA. Financial Times
Disquieting and wryly funny, The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a taut and compelling depiction of loneliness and obsession. Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train
I tore through this novel. Grippingly and intimately told, with prose as tight as a wire, The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a quick and powerful jab to the heart.
... mehr
Jami Attenberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Middlesteins
Imamura offers her readers crisp, refreshing prose. The Woman in the Purple Skirt will keep you firmly in its grip with its persistent, disquieting, matter-of-fact style. Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
A breathless novel that depicts with sly humor the strange relationship between two women in contemporary Japan. You too will be obsessed with the Woman in the Purple Skirt and held in suspense until the last page. Leila Slimani, bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny
Delightful, droll, and menacing, this novel about a seemingly harmless obsession could be the love child of Eugene Ionesco and Patricia Highsmith. Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get in Trouble
Very powerful . . . Meticulous and extremely precise . . . Reading this book made me feel like I was in an unstable and strange world. Sayaka Murata, bestselling author of Convenience Store Woman
The Woman in the Purple Skirt is like a love story overheard on a park bench. It s a thriller about commutes, work schedules, and unemployment. It s a bottle of hotel shampoo that makes its way into your shower, and you can t seem to remember how it got there. What profound and giddy prose; I could not put this book down. Imamura is a glorious architect of perspective, surprising and breaking this reader s heart at every turn. Hilary Leichter, author of Temporary
Imamura definitely has a rare talent for depicting people who are a little out of the ordinary. . . . By the time I got to the end, a powerful sense of the narrator s loneliness forcing its way through the madness gripped my heart. Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory Police
Reading this novel, you can really hear Natsuko Imamura s unique voice, which comes across quite unsparingly and beautifully. Hiromi Kawakami, author of Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop
A superb story . . . I was mesmerized by this narrator. Unlikable men who hold our sympathy are frequently found in fiction, but I don t think I ve ever encountered a woman as unappealing as this one who still managed to keep me completely beguiled. Shuichi Yoshida, author of Villain
The Woman in the Purple Skirt expertly balances the mundane and the extraordinary, never swerving too far toward one side. With clinical prose and a wry sense of humor, Imamura shows us that the most powerful portrayal of loneliness is through not the self, but the projection of the self onto another. An Yu, author of Braised Pork
[This] taut psychological thriller . . . has all the hallmarks of a future bestseller. . . . A chilling tale of envy and vulnerability. Vogue (U.K.)
Clever, wry and disturbing . . . A sharp examination of personality and persona and the small terrors of everyday life. The Irish Times
A novel unlike anything that s come before it . . . This strange and unsettling story about control and paranoia will likely take 2021 by storm. Metropolis
Clever and engrossing . . . Alternately chilling, poignant and humorous. The Herald
I adore the way this book possesses a quality to get under your skin. . . . You can t look away. Kendra Winchester, Book Riot
A voyeuristic thriller. Deadpan in its delivery yet page-turning . . . Suspenseful. International Business Times
A defiant and hysterical ode to the power of the woman alone. CrimeReads
A tale of isolation punctuated by slapstick humor . . . Combine[s] naked confessionalism and comic artifice to tap veins of hungry emotion anger, fear, and, particularly, deep sadness . . . That the narrator s unnerving internal monologue also happens to be very funny at times only makes it more interesting. Public Books
[A] deadpan novel by one of Japan s most lauded young writers. Molly Young, Vulture
Striking . . . [An] intriguing psychological thriller of sorts, a study of a damaged soul and how she shapes the world around her . . . Quite appealing, with just enough disturbing creepiness to it to keep the reader on edge. The Complete Review
The perfect voyeuristic story. Palm Beach Daily News
Off-kilter and suspenseful. World Literature Today
Riveting . . . A chilling psychological thriller . . . Thrillingly deadpan . . . A compelling novel of loneliness and obsession. Book Riot
A taut, suspenseful narrative. International Examiner
Bold and compelling . . . Well written and engaging . . . Imamura s strong prose creates an atmosphere of menace that is tense and creepy. . . . An eerie window into Japan s darker side. The Lady
Sparkles with a style that is clean, understated and funny. The brand of humor quirky, acerbic, absurd has much in common with Sayaka Murata s Convenience Store Woman. . . . The novel brims with that vague, metropolitan loneliness that seems a feature of much contemporary Japanese writing. . . . In a world that was already grappling with a loneliness epidemic before Covid-19, Imamura s book is a timely read. The Straits Times
Deliciously creepy . . . Imamura s pacing is as deft and quick as the best thrillers, but her prose is also understated and quietly subtle. . . . A subtly ominous story about voyeurism and the danger of losing yourself in someone else . . . A resounding success. Kirkus Reviews
Imamura s spare, intense prose calls to mind Sayaka Murata s Convenience Store Woman with an extra edge of danger. Booklist
Graceful . . . The narrator s intense one-way nonsexual desire creates an off-balance frisson of strangeness . . . infused with the power of fascination. . . . [For] psychological thriller fans who appreciate subtlety. Publishers Weekly
Sparse and suspenseful. It reads like a sophisticated episode of Black Mirror. If you are looking for a book that you will devour in a single sitting and then think about forever, look no further. Musing: A Publication of Parnassus Books
Brilliantly translated [with] sharp humor and satiric language . . . Due to Imamura s complexity and talent as a writer, the novel leverages the light and almost comical nature of its narrator s internal monologues to implicitly shed wisdom on the growing problem of stalking in modern Japanese culture. Asia Media International
Tackles the universal feeling of loneliness . . . in unsettling detail. Electric Literature
I am currently devouring [it] and getting a real Come Along With Me vibe from [it]. Annika Barranti Klein, Book Riot
Readable and entertaining . . . It s as if a mirage appeared and then suddenly disappeared. . . . A mysterious novel. Shukan Shincho
Horrifying, humorous, whimsical, and disturbing . . . It will remain with you. Tokyo Shimbun
Imamura offers her readers crisp, refreshing prose. The Woman in the Purple Skirt will keep you firmly in its grip with its persistent, disquieting, matter-of-fact style. Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer
A breathless novel that depicts with sly humor the strange relationship between two women in contemporary Japan. You too will be obsessed with the Woman in the Purple Skirt and held in suspense until the last page. Leila Slimani, bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny
Delightful, droll, and menacing, this novel about a seemingly harmless obsession could be the love child of Eugene Ionesco and Patricia Highsmith. Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get in Trouble
Very powerful . . . Meticulous and extremely precise . . . Reading this book made me feel like I was in an unstable and strange world. Sayaka Murata, bestselling author of Convenience Store Woman
The Woman in the Purple Skirt is like a love story overheard on a park bench. It s a thriller about commutes, work schedules, and unemployment. It s a bottle of hotel shampoo that makes its way into your shower, and you can t seem to remember how it got there. What profound and giddy prose; I could not put this book down. Imamura is a glorious architect of perspective, surprising and breaking this reader s heart at every turn. Hilary Leichter, author of Temporary
Imamura definitely has a rare talent for depicting people who are a little out of the ordinary. . . . By the time I got to the end, a powerful sense of the narrator s loneliness forcing its way through the madness gripped my heart. Yoko Ogawa, author of The Memory Police
Reading this novel, you can really hear Natsuko Imamura s unique voice, which comes across quite unsparingly and beautifully. Hiromi Kawakami, author of Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop
A superb story . . . I was mesmerized by this narrator. Unlikable men who hold our sympathy are frequently found in fiction, but I don t think I ve ever encountered a woman as unappealing as this one who still managed to keep me completely beguiled. Shuichi Yoshida, author of Villain
The Woman in the Purple Skirt expertly balances the mundane and the extraordinary, never swerving too far toward one side. With clinical prose and a wry sense of humor, Imamura shows us that the most powerful portrayal of loneliness is through not the self, but the projection of the self onto another. An Yu, author of Braised Pork
[This] taut psychological thriller . . . has all the hallmarks of a future bestseller. . . . A chilling tale of envy and vulnerability. Vogue (U.K.)
Clever, wry and disturbing . . . A sharp examination of personality and persona and the small terrors of everyday life. The Irish Times
A novel unlike anything that s come before it . . . This strange and unsettling story about control and paranoia will likely take 2021 by storm. Metropolis
Clever and engrossing . . . Alternately chilling, poignant and humorous. The Herald
I adore the way this book possesses a quality to get under your skin. . . . You can t look away. Kendra Winchester, Book Riot
A voyeuristic thriller. Deadpan in its delivery yet page-turning . . . Suspenseful. International Business Times
A defiant and hysterical ode to the power of the woman alone. CrimeReads
A tale of isolation punctuated by slapstick humor . . . Combine[s] naked confessionalism and comic artifice to tap veins of hungry emotion anger, fear, and, particularly, deep sadness . . . That the narrator s unnerving internal monologue also happens to be very funny at times only makes it more interesting. Public Books
[A] deadpan novel by one of Japan s most lauded young writers. Molly Young, Vulture
Striking . . . [An] intriguing psychological thriller of sorts, a study of a damaged soul and how she shapes the world around her . . . Quite appealing, with just enough disturbing creepiness to it to keep the reader on edge. The Complete Review
The perfect voyeuristic story. Palm Beach Daily News
Off-kilter and suspenseful. World Literature Today
Riveting . . . A chilling psychological thriller . . . Thrillingly deadpan . . . A compelling novel of loneliness and obsession. Book Riot
A taut, suspenseful narrative. International Examiner
Bold and compelling . . . Well written and engaging . . . Imamura s strong prose creates an atmosphere of menace that is tense and creepy. . . . An eerie window into Japan s darker side. The Lady
Sparkles with a style that is clean, understated and funny. The brand of humor quirky, acerbic, absurd has much in common with Sayaka Murata s Convenience Store Woman. . . . The novel brims with that vague, metropolitan loneliness that seems a feature of much contemporary Japanese writing. . . . In a world that was already grappling with a loneliness epidemic before Covid-19, Imamura s book is a timely read. The Straits Times
Deliciously creepy . . . Imamura s pacing is as deft and quick as the best thrillers, but her prose is also understated and quietly subtle. . . . A subtly ominous story about voyeurism and the danger of losing yourself in someone else . . . A resounding success. Kirkus Reviews
Imamura s spare, intense prose calls to mind Sayaka Murata s Convenience Store Woman with an extra edge of danger. Booklist
Graceful . . . The narrator s intense one-way nonsexual desire creates an off-balance frisson of strangeness . . . infused with the power of fascination. . . . [For] psychological thriller fans who appreciate subtlety. Publishers Weekly
Sparse and suspenseful. It reads like a sophisticated episode of Black Mirror. If you are looking for a book that you will devour in a single sitting and then think about forever, look no further. Musing: A Publication of Parnassus Books
Brilliantly translated [with] sharp humor and satiric language . . . Due to Imamura s complexity and talent as a writer, the novel leverages the light and almost comical nature of its narrator s internal monologues to implicitly shed wisdom on the growing problem of stalking in modern Japanese culture. Asia Media International
Tackles the universal feeling of loneliness . . . in unsettling detail. Electric Literature
I am currently devouring [it] and getting a real Come Along With Me vibe from [it]. Annika Barranti Klein, Book Riot
Readable and entertaining . . . It s as if a mirage appeared and then suddenly disappeared. . . . A mysterious novel. Shukan Shincho
Horrifying, humorous, whimsical, and disturbing . . . It will remain with you. Tokyo Shimbun
... weniger
Kommentar zu "The Woman in the Purple Skirt"
0 Gebrauchte Artikel zu „The Woman in the Purple Skirt“
| Zustand | Preis | Porto | Zahlung | Verkäufer | Rating |
|---|
Schreiben Sie einen Kommentar zu "The Woman in the Purple Skirt".
Kommentar verfassen