Hiromi Kawakami

Scarlett Thomas

"A bossy child who lives under a white cloth near a tree; a schoolgirl who keeps doll's brains in a desk drawer; an old man with two shadows, one docile and one rebellious; a diplomat no one has ever seen who goes fishing at an artificial lake no one has ever heard of. These are some of the inhabitants of People From My Neighborhood. In their lives, details of the local and everyday-the lunch menu at a tiny drinking place called the Love, the color and shape of the roof of the tax office-slip into accounts of duels, prophetic dreams, revolutions, and visitations from ghosts and gods. In twenty-six "palm of the hand" stories-fictions small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand-Hiromi Kawakami creates a universe ruled by mystery and transformation"--

Stories

People from My Neighborhood

People From My Neighbourhood

My first thought about this book was it might be about a certain neighborhood helping each other and working together as one community but it definitely proved me wrong, with each chapter I was in awe and I kept on wondering what could happen next. It was a good read if you’re a fan of fantasy or you just want to deviate from what you usually read. 

Kriscel Ofemia

lily

"In the end, a dog is just a dog," Kanae likes to brag.

Nevertheless, not a single crack mars the walls of the shack of joy. There can be no doubt-dogs' emotions are pure too.

Then might I be as lonely as Dr. Miranda? According to him, the best remedy for loneliness was an eye medicine made from a combination of antibiotics and boiled broccoli. A prescription was required for the antibiotics, but Dr. Miranda said he could give me one whenever I needed it.

"You know kids that age," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "There might be a piece left sticking out from the hole, or maybe the rain would wash away whatever they'd buried. But we didn't care. We just loved watching their backs as they dug, the way they threw themselves into the work." 

They were after each other nonstop from the time they began to talk. 

Sparks would fly when they passed on the street.

In fact, when the news forecast hazardously dry conditions, people in the neighborhood took turns making sure the two girls stayed away from each other, for they had once actually started a small fire in the stationery shop near the train station.

Kiyoshi and Hachiro had always been surprisingly close. Maybe it was because both were labeled pests by their neighbors.

It was the first time I'd heard him say anything other than his three phrases. Then he walked away without waiting for my reply.

Now and then, though, a small part of the tunnel would collapse, and Dolly would cry out,

Kanae and I were amazed-we'd never heard the word oops before.

“"In the end, a dog is just a dog," Kanae likes to brag. Nevertheless, nota single crack mars the walls of the shack of joy. There can be no doubt—dogs' emotions are pure too.” 

Women are really getting innovative with their fertilizers 

“Many years later, when a mass murderer poisoned dozens of people across Japan, the princess was long dead and gone, but Dolly was in fine shape. Indeed, that was the year the branches of the fruit trees in the Kawamatas’ back garden were so laden with fruit they almost touched the ground.” 

“The death curse worked. But it was Yōko One, the one who had cast the curse, who died of a sudden heart attack, not Yōko Two. The two women were so similar that the for had mistaken one for the other.” 

“The principal still hated his class teacher. Said she'd made him stand in the school corridor for three hours straight. His crime was stuffing a girl's satchel full of chicken bones he collected for her. 

“Why would you do something like that?” I asked. 

“Every time I ate roast chicken, I licked all the bones clean and kept them for her,” he proclaimed. “How could that be seen as anything other than an act of love?”” 

We can keep a constant to keep us grounded but we can also keep a constant so they can help us realize how we’ve changed. 

“He hasn’t changed in all that time. He continues to eat sparingly and to be a great listener. He still dances his funny dance after his shower, and he still disappears from time to time. 

I’ve come to realize that he can’t be human after all, seeing how he’s stayed the same all these years. 

I certainly have. I’ve aged and become grumpy. But I’ve come to love jinx though I didn’t at first.” 

Take a story and shrink it. Make it tiny, so small it can fit in the palm of your hand. Carry the story with you everywhere, let it sit with you while you eat, let it watch you while you sleep. Keep it safe, you never know when you might need it. In Kawakami's super short 'palm of the hand' stories the world is never quite as it should be: a small child lives under a sheet near his neighbour's house for thirty years; an apartment block leaves its visitors with strange afflictions, from fast-growing beards to an ability to channel the voices of the dead; an old man has two shadows, one docile, the other rebellious; two girls named Yoko are locked in a bitter rivalry to the death. Small but great, you'll find great delight spending time with the people in this neighbourhood.

sina (she/her) 

as a slow reader, short-length books really help me get out of a reading slump. i love how this book contains short stories about people in a neighborhood. what i learned from this book is the transformation of human beings and how we often hear about others from someone else's perspective without truly knowing what is happening in their lives. people always have their own stories and their own power. this book also discusses topics related to daily life through satire and parables. it explores human emotions, greed which can be harmful, and more. rather than heartwarming, i found this book quite hilarious because of the many nonsense characters. but at the same time, it’s kind of scary, like dark humor.

love, kinanti

It's like reading someone's diary about the life they live. This book contains thirty-six short stories, each of which is interconnected about those who live in an area. The stories themselves are unique, magical and some seem strange, whether it's the story or the people in the story itself. There is no heroic conflict that occurs in each story, just simple conflicts of neighborly life, some of which are enough to make me feel related.

Simple, unique and fun stories to read in a short time.

ℛ.

It's like reading someone's diary about the life they live. This book contains thirty-six short stories, each of which is interconnected about those who live in an area. The stories themselves are unique, magical and some seem strange, whether it's the story or the people in the story itself. There is no heroic conflict that occurs in each story, just simple conflicts of neighborly life, some of which are enough to make me feel related.

Simple, unique and fun stories to read in a short time.

3.25⭐ for this one.

The setting in this collection is definitely unusual yet grounded in realism, as are the events that follow the narrator.  The stories range from bizarre to whimsical but I still found myself attached the these different neighbors, who were quite unconventional. Ranging from wholesome to “what is happening?” in each story, you can still find yourself feeling like you’re getting to know these neighbors as if you’re new to the neighborhood getting a rundown by the narrator themselves. 

Overall, the collection, though quite strange, is great for doing some light reading. 

The setting in this collection is definitely unusual yet grounded in realism, as are the events that follow the narrator.  The stories range from bizarre to whimsical but I still found myself attached the these different neighbors, who were quite unconventional. Ranging from wholesome to “what is happening?” in each story, you can still find yourself feeling like you’re getting to know these neighbors as if you’re new to the neighborhood getting a rundown by the narrator themselves. 

Overall, the collection, though quite strange, is great for doing some light reading. 

its so nice but also soso strange! good quick read though

Honestly, this book wasn’t what I’d expected it to be at all. The synopsis made it seem like it would be filled with soft, wholesome short stories, yet I was met with stories that were just… weird. They’re readable and even a little bit entertaining sometimes, sure, but they’re not really of my taste.

whimsical, bizarre, and lovely. there is something about kawakami’s voice that makes this so endearing to read about. flew by like a breeze and i would definitely wish to meet these people again. 

開花

This went back and forth between cute and bizarre and I loved it

Megan Christensen

sani

there's something so mystical in kawakami’s prose. even the simplest of things sound whimsical and you'll find yourself drowned and dizzy in the kawakami magical universe.

A whimsical mix of realistic and fairytale stories. I probably won’t remember any of these but they offer an excellent escape. 

Angel Hammon

the characters were interesting & i enjoyed the book, but left with many questions unanswered

odd, whimsical and amusing

the characters were interesting & i enjoyed the book, but left with many questions unanswered

Cait🪼

Incredibly vivid stories. The characters and locations felt oddly familiar yet wonderfully surreal.

at first, i had no idea what i was reading. but as i went into it, i find the stories amusing. kawakami was able to capture a fairytale-like storytelling. 

i enjoyed every story very much. 4.5/5!

at first, i had no idea what i was reading. but as i went into it, i find the stories amusing. kawakami was able to capture a fairytale-like storytelling. 

i enjoyed every story very much. 4.5/5!

From the author of the internationally bestselling Strange Weather in Tokyo, a collection of interlinking stories that masterfully blend the mundane and the mythical—"fairy tales in the best Brothers Grimm tradition: naïf, magical, and frequently veering into the macabre" (Financial Times). A bossy child who lives under a white cloth near a tree; a schoolgirl who keeps doll's brains in a desk drawer; an old man with two shadows, one docile and one rebellious; a diplomat no one has ever seen who goes fishing at an artificial lake no one has ever heard of. These are some of the inhabitants of People from My Neighborhood. In their lives, details of the local and everyday—the lunch menu at a tiny drinking place called the Love, the color and shape of the roof of the tax office—slip into accounts of duels, prophetic dreams, revolutions, and visitations from ghosts and gods. In twenty-six "palm of the hand" stories—fictions small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand and brief enough to allow for dipping in and out—Hiromi Kawakami creates a universe ruled by mystery and transformation.

renni

Do meio pro fim a autora me perdeu, infelizmente.

Mas uma coisa que ficou na minha cabeça durante a minha leitura é que se o Naoki Urusawa tivesse escrito 20th Century Boys como um livro e não mangá seria bem similar a esse.

Uma coisa interessante é que toda vez que eu pegava pra ler o livro ou eu estava com *sono* (no ônibus indo pro trabalho) ou eu estava *com* sono (deitada na cama prestes a dormir). Então não tenho certeza se eu alucinei com algumas partes da história kkkkkk (o que explica bastante eu ter associado a 20th Century Boys)

charisa

ok, record of a night too brief was a little too strange for me, but i liked this one (though it definitely drifted to shrooms territory by the end)! i mean, pigeonitis?? i couldn't tell if i was just half-asleep while reading that. kawakami is great at walking the line between realism and absolute absurdity.

a collection of mundane yet otherworldly short stories, digestible, quick read, but thought-provoking and simplistic in its fantastical tales

Julian

Stef

People of neighborhood ini secara keseluruhan seperti cerita-cerita gosip yang ada di tetangga sekitar dibalut folklore. Dibuka dengan cerita si bocah yang tidak menua,manusia yg lahir dari telur, dan beberapa cerita absurd dan surelis tapi terlihat seperti hal biasa terjadi sehari-hari. Aku menikmati cerita nya yang dikemas sebagai fiksi mini, ada beberapa cerita singkat dan sedikit lebih panjang. Ada beberapa karakter nya yg mengingatkan ku dgn karakter di manga nya ito sensei.

As always Hiromi sensei bring magical surelis story in a good way.

heather

This was an unusual and surrealistic read but not surprising coming from Hiromi Kawakami. 

Having read The Nakano Thrift Shop, I roughly know Kawakami's writing style and the way she sets up her characters/environment. People From My Neighbourhood is largely slice of life with hints of fantasy and the like. This book is definitely not for people who are seeking strong and engaging plots! These short stories are really short (like 4-5 pages short) and don't hold much beyond a recalling of certain episodes/events that happened in the neighbourhood. I think this is really on brand of Kawakami considering how The Nakano Thrift Shop was also kind of a mundane story with not much happening except characters just going about doing their own thing.

Overall, this was a simple read, not exactly exciting but I wasn't bored to death either so I gave it 3 stars!

Lauren Wightman

Was so excited to get this and it did not disappoint. Weird and whimsical and wonderful.

I grew up loving the Wayside Stories and this collection had that same feel with a little more magic in the mix. It was very fun yet realistic enough that you’d go “hmmm, I see that fitting into this quaint little neighborhood.” It was an excellent collection of short stories. 

雪 xue

hilarious, charming, makes you feel like crawling into a peach and living there for a while. the kind of book i’d want to write

Josh Clement

I liked these short, odd, often funny stories that take unexpected twists every few sentences and feel like mini fables.

Melissa Minshull

This book was an easy 5 stars! It has an atmosphere I LOVE where it drops you into a place that seems familiar but very quickly shows you where the differences are. It gave me the same feelings as my favourite podcast Welcome To Night Vale and as one of my other favourite books Summer Morning, Summer Night by Ray Bradbury (also a short story collection) with that sense of normalcy and weirdness intertwined. 


People from My Neighborhood Stories

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