“I first met Shuichi Yoshida in the summer of 1999. He had just published his debut work, and I was a fresh new editor who had joined the company in April. I still remember nervously greeting him at a café in Shinjuku Takashimaya. Since then, came masterpieces like ‘Parade,’ ‘Villain,’ ‘Rage,’ and ‘National Treasure.’ This writer—is he human or a magician? Another masterpiece has been born. The story moves between a high school first love and a reunion over twenty years later, intertwining past and present. As I began reading the manuscript in the office, I was so moved by the two protagonists striving to live their lives that tears welled up and I had to lower my head. I won’t say more. As an editor for 27 years, I can state with certainty: this is a must-read.”
—Editor’s Recommendation

★ The long-awaited new novel from Shuichi Yoshida, one of Japan’s most beloved authors and winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize! After acclaimed works such as “Villain,” “Rage,” and “National Treasure” that swept major literary awards, he returns to the theme of love.
★ The editor, with 27 years of experience, declares this book a “must-read”—she was moved to tears while reading the manuscript in the office and could not hold back her emotions.
★ The story weaves between a first love in high school and a reunion over twenty years later, delicately portraying love and longing that transcend time.
★ “An unparalleled work that comes along once in a decade”—dedicated to everyone who holds a quiet “what if” in their heart.

The story weaves between a first love in high school and a reunion over twenty years later, delicately portraying love and longing that transcend time.

Shuichi Yoshida
Born in Nagasaki City. Graduated from Nagasaki Prefectural Nagasaki Minami High School and the Faculty of Business Administration at Hosei University. After graduating, he worked part-time as a swimming instructor.

In 1997, he made his literary debut with “The Last Son,” which won the 84th Literary World Newcomer Award and was also nominated for the 117th Akutagawa Prize. In 2002, he won the 15th Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize for “Parade.” The same year, he won the 127th Akutagawa Prize for “Park Life.” He became a topic of conversation for winning both a literary prize for pure literature and one for popular fiction.

His early works often depicted the lives of young people in the city. In 2007, his novel “Villain,” which centered on a murder case, won the 61st Mainichi Publishing Culture Award and the 34th Osaragi Jirō Award. In 2010, he won the 23rd Shibata Renzaburō Award for “Yokomichi Yonosuke.” In 2019, he received the 69th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award for Fine Arts and the 14th Chūōkōron Prize for Literature for “National Treasure.” Since 2016, he has served as a judge for the Akutagawa Prize.

He has traveled to Taiwan many times and, having written a novel set there, professes his love for Taiwan, where he enjoys immense popularity.

He is a cat lover who lives with two cats: “Kin-chan,” a Bengal cat named Kintarō, and “Gin-chan,” a Scottish Fold named Gintarō. In 2017, he appeared with his beloved cat on the NHK Educational TV documentary series “Neko Mentary.”