The Woman in the Purple Skirt
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- Create Date：2021-06-16 07:51:19
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Natsuko Imamura
- ISBN：0571364675
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Reviews
Amelia Fernandez
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Fabuloso！！
Lisa
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Weird but could be weirder
fatma
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i have no idea what i was supposed to get out of this book。 as it was， i got absolutely nothing out of it， so 🤷♀️
Shankar Singh
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“The right breast was an apple， and the left breast， slightly smaller， was an orange。 Supervisor Tsukada then plunged her hand into the pocket of her apron and revealed the tip of a banana。”This is the English-language début of Natsuko Imamura's 2019 Akutagawa Prize winning novel。 There are certain parallels to “Convenience Store Woman，” such as the work environment， the solitary and misfit female character， and the discomfiting narrative， which are largely correct， but I found this a far more i “The right breast was an apple， and the left breast， slightly smaller， was an orange。 Supervisor Tsukada then plunged her hand into the pocket of her apron and revealed the tip of a banana。”This is the English-language début of Natsuko Imamura's 2019 Akutagawa Prize winning novel。 There are certain parallels to “Convenience Store Woman，” such as the work environment， the solitary and misfit female character， and the discomfiting narrative， which are largely correct， but I found this a far more intriguing and enjoyable read。 There is one contrast that I felt to be particularly significant: there are no overt references to societal criticisms， and if there are， they are hardly discernible。The story's narrator is a paranoid stalker who keeps tabs on "the Woman in the Purple Skirt，" a woman in her neighbourhood。 The Purple Skirt Woman doesn't do anything particularly interesting。 She sits on a park bench， visits the bakery， and works on a part-time basis。 The narrator， however， refers to herself as "the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan。" She arranges for the Woman in the Purple Skirt to get a job at the hotel where she works cleaning rooms。 Our narrator imagines she'll get the chance to introduce herself now since they've never truly spoken。The intersection of these people' private and public lives， as well as the lady in the purple skirt's other interactions， occupy the majority of the novel。 Furthermore， the narrator's apparent invisibility and omniscience give the impression of her supernatural abilities。 It's a short， simple read that grows more intriguing and unnerving as the novel progresses， given the fact that little occurs for the most part。 It's a satirical and unsettling novel about voyeurism， obsession， and loneliness that questions societal beliefs about the duplicity of the human heart， which confirms my love for Japanese fiction。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
onelmon
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This is a weird book。 I feel like I am following a curious “case” in the news， waiting for an update every day and suddenly fusshhhh the case gone cold。 Nobody knows the truth， nobody knows what happens after the story。 Nevertheless， the storytelling hooked me until the end。
Tim
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At one point my wife saw me reading this book， thought the cover looked interesting （which I have to agree that I do kind of love the cover）。 Seeing I was halfway through， she asked me what it was about。This was pretty much my response: This is a weird one。 The book follows our narrator who calls herself The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan who stalks another who she calls The Woman in the Purple Skirt。 She keeps track of her night and day。 She follows her life。 She makes notes of her habits。 She al At one point my wife saw me reading this book， thought the cover looked interesting （which I have to agree that I do kind of love the cover）。 Seeing I was halfway through， she asked me what it was about。This was pretty much my response: This is a weird one。 The book follows our narrator who calls herself The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan who stalks another who she calls The Woman in the Purple Skirt。 She keeps track of her night and day。 She follows her life。 She makes notes of her habits。 She always watches， wanting to interact， but can't ever find the right time。 It's not presented as a romantic stalker， or a horrific murder plan… she simply watches。 It's not a horror novel， it's not a comedy… if anything this comes off as a slice of life novel， just giving us a few weeks time observing The Woman in the Purple Skirt。 While the story is certainly about obsession， I can't even call it a character study on the stalker as our narrator does her best not to give us details about herself （we only learn her name， her financial status and a few other details… some of which she doesn't even outright say）。 It's one of those books where once I finished I questioned who at a major publisher like Penguin greenlit not only a translation of this， but also a hardcover release。 Don't get me wrong， it's far from a bad book， but it's one of those books that just doesn't have a clear audience and even someone like me who has a love of Japanese literature and is pretty much guaranteed to blind buy it （which I did） is perplexed after finishing it。 It's pretty well written and short （only 216 pages， and it's fairly small in terms of height size as well）， so it's not a book that will take up much of your time， but it's a hard one to recommend。 It's pretty well done， and I certainly do not regret my time with it， but it's not something I can't really suggest to anyone outside of Japanese literature fans who want to read something both mundane and extremely different。 3/5 stars 。。。more
Alex
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A very SLY book。 As DJ Khalid （or Drake？） would say， “there’s levels to this。” The stakes could not be lower for most of this slim volume （or so… it… SEEMS！） until things ratchet up a great deal right near the end to great effect。 The comparison to mystery novels some reviews mentioned make a lot of sense especially deeper in since this is a very “between the lines” kind of book。 Easy from the first half to wonder if it was another casualty of anemic translation （sorry， “There’s No Such Thing as A very SLY book。 As DJ Khalid （or Drake？） would say， “there’s levels to this。” The stakes could not be lower for most of this slim volume （or so… it… SEEMS！） until things ratchet up a great deal right near the end to great effect。 The comparison to mystery novels some reviews mentioned make a lot of sense especially deeper in since this is a very “between the lines” kind of book。 Easy from the first half to wonder if it was another casualty of anemic translation （sorry， “There’s No Such Thing as an Easy Job”）， but I think especially in audiobook form it’s a little easier to suss out the clues。 One could say the ending is too abrupt and too long at the same time， but I think the excitement is worth the acclimation and scene setting required （this is a very short book， so）。 Tsundoku Reader （check out their excellent blog！） said it best， in that at first you’re in cahoots with the narrator protagonist， watching the woman in the purple skirt…but then you’re increasingly watching the narrator instead， through her。 Would love to get someone else’s take on what level of unreliability / reality we’re dealing with here， because while things are open to interpretation the details seemed subtle， meticulous enough to bear out a unified theory…。ANYWAY this is comparable to “Convenience Store Woman” （which was weirder and better IMO） and felt a bit too like Moshfegh’s recent book — but enjoyed this one more！ And thank god “Goad” doesn’t enter the picture。Lastly， writing this on the Japanese edition because I literally happened to BE in Tokyo in summer 2019 at the Akutagawa ceremony where this WON， and Imamura-san was kind enough to sign my copy ^___^ An experience I will never forget！ That being said， go buy the English translation that just came out， it’s enticingly-sized and with a delightful （and meaningful） purple / yellow color scheme。 And not to undo all the goodwill here， but just saying if your budget has room for only one award winning newly translated from Japanese hardcover novel （mine did） — Mieko Kawakami’s “Heaven” is probably the better read。 But “The Woman in the Purple Skirt” was surprisingly good （given the avg Goodreads rating）， a quick but substantial read， enjoyable with some playful， sophisticated narrative trickery going on that rewards a close and skeptical reading — a neat way and not cheap way to keep you hanging on every word。 。。。more
caroline
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not sure how i feel about this one to be honest。 the writing was somewhat adolescent and nothing really happened， but there was a certain style in how creepy the narrator was in her single-minded focus on the woman in the purple skirt。 it was easy enough to get through but i can’t say that i enjoyed reading it， necessarily。 thank you to goodreads and the publisher for selecting me in an arc giveaway。
daph pink ♡
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adding this to my tbr coz 1） it's short and 2） it's ASIAN adding this to my tbr coz 1） it's short and 2） it's ASIAN 。。。more
Mara
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2，5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫 Quite a weird book。 Not what I imagined going into it！
Adam Ferris
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Natsuko Imamura's book The Woman in the Purple Skirt， is being narrated by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan。 Though I can appreciate the creepiness of the obsession of the narrator and the mystery of the fact that we know nothing about her for most of the book， it wasn't enough to be as enjoyable a read as I had hoped。 The premise for this book was intriguing and I was hoping for the quirkiness of the idea and perspective to pay off。 This slow burn of a book was the perfect length for the writin Natsuko Imamura's book The Woman in the Purple Skirt， is being narrated by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan。 Though I can appreciate the creepiness of the obsession of the narrator and the mystery of the fact that we know nothing about her for most of the book， it wasn't enough to be as enjoyable a read as I had hoped。 The premise for this book was intriguing and I was hoping for the quirkiness of the idea and perspective to pay off。 This slow burn of a book was the perfect length for the writing and the ending was a surprisingly dark twist however， overall I found myself underwhelmed。 。。。more
Sonja
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Quite short， odd， but interesting。
Davide
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un libro che， con una scrittura molto semplice ed asciutta， descrive la formazione e l'evoluzione di un'ossessione， quella che la "donna dal cardigan giallo" ha per la "donna dalla gonna viola"。La parte che ho preferito è stata la prima: l'autrice riesce a descrivere in maniera estremamente semplice， quasi asettica， ma allo stesso tempo sottilmente inquietante， la curiosità morbosa che la narratrice ha per la donna dalla gonna viola e la sua necessità di entrare in relazione con lei。 Ho apprezza un libro che， con una scrittura molto semplice ed asciutta， descrive la formazione e l'evoluzione di un'ossessione， quella che la "donna dal cardigan giallo" ha per la "donna dalla gonna viola"。La parte che ho preferito è stata la prima: l'autrice riesce a descrivere in maniera estremamente semplice， quasi asettica， ma allo stesso tempo sottilmente inquietante， la curiosità morbosa che la narratrice ha per la donna dalla gonna viola e la sua necessità di entrare in relazione con lei。 Ho apprezzato tantissimo anche il finale， degna conclusione della spirale ossessiva nella quale cade la donna dal cardigan giallo， （view spoiler）[che inizialmente osserva e manipola la vita di Hino Mayumi， per poi appropriarsene proprio nella scena finale （hide spoiler）]。 Ciò che mi porta a mettere quattro stelle al posto di cinque è la parte più "thriller" del libro， che ho vissuto come poco coerente all'interno del racconto， anche in termini di scrittura， e che mi ha lasciato un po' deluso。 。。。more
Amna Waqar
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Intriguing。 With every word and every page， this book sucked me right in。 My initial thought was that the narrator， the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan was perhaps the Woman in the Purple Skirt's inner thoughts and an internal monologue was taking place， but I was wrong。 The narrator is obsessed by the Woman in the Purple Skirt。 The narrator knows her obsession's quirky routines and cleverly orchestrates a way for the Woman in the Purple Skirt to get a job at the same work place as her。At her new w Intriguing。 With every word and every page， this book sucked me right in。 My initial thought was that the narrator， the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan was perhaps the Woman in the Purple Skirt's inner thoughts and an internal monologue was taking place， but I was wrong。 The narrator is obsessed by the Woman in the Purple Skirt。 The narrator knows her obsession's quirky routines and cleverly orchestrates a way for the Woman in the Purple Skirt to get a job at the same work place as her。At her new workplace， the reader finds out more about the Woman in the Purple Skirt's character and the narrator's increasing obsession。 Brilliantly written， the novel is dark and there is suspense throughout， along with some dry humour at times。 It is simultaneously compelling and disturbing。 Despite the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan's identity being revealed， the ending left me with a lot of questions about both protagonists。 My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sammi
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The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a story of obsession。 It is told through the eyes of the woman in the yellow cardigan who watches the woman in the purple skirt。 The woman in the purple skirt lives alone， and has a very specific daily routine， which the woman in the yellow cardigan follows closely。 You see the life of the woman in the purple skirt through her stalkers eyes， and watch her stalker manipulate things for the woman in the purple skirt， bending her life to suit her will。It was fascina The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a story of obsession。 It is told through the eyes of the woman in the yellow cardigan who watches the woman in the purple skirt。 The woman in the purple skirt lives alone， and has a very specific daily routine， which the woman in the yellow cardigan follows closely。 You see the life of the woman in the purple skirt through her stalkers eyes， and watch her stalker manipulate things for the woman in the purple skirt， bending her life to suit her will。It was fascinating and I read most of it in one night。 I would've finished it then too， if I didn't need to sleep。 It was a great little slice of life meets psychological thriller。 It was a slow pace， and nothing was action-packed， but that's what I enjoyed about it。 It had very atmospheric writing and I appreciated it for that。 I can't wait to pick up more from this author and see what else she has to offer。 Thank you to the publisher， the author and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Carmen Foglia
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Es una novela breve que no te debes perder。 Está hecha nutritivamente de principio a fin， es fácil engancharse en el ambiente donde se lleva a cabo la historia。 No solamente es intrigante el personaje de la mujer de la falda violeta， sino también el personaje que cuenta la historia: ¿cuáles son sus intenciones？ ¿qué la lleva a contarnos de la mujer de la falda violeta？
Sarah
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2。5 rounded downI'm really not sure what to make of this。 There will be inevitable comparisons to Convenience Store Woman （workplace setting， solitary and odd/misfit female character and a discomfiting narrative） which are mostly fair， but I found this a lot less satisfying of a read and don't feel like I really 'got' it。 The dialogue felt kind of awkward （a translation issue？） and I struggled to see what the novel was trying to say - it's essentially one woman （the woman in the yellow cardigan） 2。5 rounded downI'm really not sure what to make of this。 There will be inevitable comparisons to Convenience Store Woman （workplace setting， solitary and odd/misfit female character and a discomfiting narrative） which are mostly fair， but I found this a lot less satisfying of a read and don't feel like I really 'got' it。 The dialogue felt kind of awkward （a translation issue？） and I struggled to see what the novel was trying to say - it's essentially one woman （the woman in the yellow cardigan） following another woman （the woman in the purple skirt）， observing her behaviour and trying to help her gain some semblance of normality in her life through helping her get a settled job and using some odd methods to make her more presentable and acceptable in the eyes of society。 Not bad， just not one which will stay with me。 Thank you Netgalley and Faber & Faber for the advance copy， which was provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Ester is reading
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Es un libro de lectura rápida y ágil donde conoceremos a la mujer de la falda violeta y un periodo de su vida。 Quedan preguntas sin contestar y un final incierto。Disfrute de la narración y de cómo se introducen determinados problemas sociales
Kitty
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Thank you for the advanced digital copy @netgalley and @faberbooksThe Woman in the Purple Skirt is a short， weird and engaging story told by our stalker， the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan。 She follows almost every step of the woman in the purple skirt， observes her daily life and her habits， and tries to influence her from the distance。 In the beginning， you might think the woman in the purple skirt is an odd creature， but this will slowly change。It is a very short book， and some would think that Thank you for the advanced digital copy @netgalley and @faberbooksThe Woman in the Purple Skirt is a short， weird and engaging story told by our stalker， the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan。 She follows almost every step of the woman in the purple skirt， observes her daily life and her habits， and tries to influence her from the distance。 In the beginning， you might think the woman in the purple skirt is an odd creature， but this will slowly change。It is a very short book， and some would think that it doesn’t really have a plot， but you will experience how the aura shifts slowly， how characters change。 And although it definitely has its funny elements the more the story progresses the more unsettling it gets， and the more you want to know。 The ending is quite shocking and it's also very nicely ties the whole book together。 And the writing is just so gripping， it makes it nearly impossible to put the book down。It is a quirky and unsettling story about obsession and loneliness， which I would definitely recommend， especially if you like Japanese fiction。4。5 🌟 （rounded up to 5） 。。。more
Rachel
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3。5*a hauntingly ordinary tale of observation and obsession， imamura effortlessly weaves together a story of intrigue and mystery that captures the imagination。 translated Japanese literature is killing the literary game right now and with good reason。 imamura’s offering will strike gold with fans of the genre and newer readers too， with its deceptively easy plot line and conversational language style that emulates and encompasses many genres， from contemporary to thriller。 the woman in the purp 3。5*a hauntingly ordinary tale of observation and obsession， imamura effortlessly weaves together a story of intrigue and mystery that captures the imagination。 translated Japanese literature is killing the literary game right now and with good reason。 imamura’s offering will strike gold with fans of the genre and newer readers too， with its deceptively easy plot line and conversational language style that emulates and encompasses many genres， from contemporary to thriller。 the woman in the purple skirt is an enigmatic outcast in her community。 her mundane and repetitive routine makes her a target of scorn， tormented by young children and ostracised， rendered invisible to everyone else。 except for the woman in the yellow cardigan， the story’s narrator， whose obsession with the woman in the purple skirt consumes her。 we join her on a journey of perception and surveillance， absorbing every piece of information we can about her unusual target。 eventually， their worlds collide， leaving readers questioning the truth and reliability of the narrator。 imamura has an incredible capability for drawing readers into a novel with seemingly no plot， no action and no conflict， yet leaving us unable to stop reading and watching the story unfold before us。 the classic prose style， effortless language and darkly humorous writing adds a much-needed edge to the novel， allowing us room to breathe and recalibrate everything we know so far。 I flew through this quick， engrossing read and if you’re looking for a new addition to your translated fiction list， this should take the top spot。A huge thank you to Faber Books for my gifted copy。 。。。more
Michaela
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Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for my e-arc of this book， received in exchange for an honest review。 Someone is watching the woman in the purple skirt， taking note of her every move 。。。does she have a stalker？ Or is something else at play？ For me， this book didn't live up to what the description led me to expect。 While there were elements I enjoyed， such as the often dry sense of humour of our narrator and her way of describing the world around her， ultimately I struggled to get invest Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for my e-arc of this book， received in exchange for an honest review。 Someone is watching the woman in the purple skirt， taking note of her every move 。。。does she have a stalker？ Or is something else at play？ For me， this book didn't live up to what the description led me to expect。 While there were elements I enjoyed， such as the often dry sense of humour of our narrator and her way of describing the world around her， ultimately I struggled to get invested in the story。 I found myself wondering when （if ever） it was going to get to the twist that was hinted， or any real point in the narrative。 By the time it did get there it was a bit predictable and not entirely fleshed out the way it could have been， in my opinion。 And while it may have been that certain phrases get lost in translation， some of the dialogue didn't read very naturally to me which took me out of the story。All in all， it was a quick read and I probably would have enjoyed it more if the description had been different。 。。。more
Lou
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The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a story of psychological intrigue surrounding stalking， obsession and manipulation which， despite its serious theme， does not lack a special subtle Japanese humour， in which the reader sometimes laughs， but this is never without a melancholic undertone and is written by the winner of multiple prestigious Japanese literary awards。 The enigmatic Woman in the Purple Skirt is of indeterminate age， lives alone， does not relate to anyone， has temporary jobs and is the The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a story of psychological intrigue surrounding stalking， obsession and manipulation which， despite its serious theme， does not lack a special subtle Japanese humour， in which the reader sometimes laughs， but this is never without a melancholic undertone and is written by the winner of multiple prestigious Japanese literary awards。 The enigmatic Woman in the Purple Skirt is of indeterminate age， lives alone， does not relate to anyone， has temporary jobs and is the entertainment of the neighbourhood。 It's probably because of that purple skirt that she never takes off of her and because she always follows the same routines。 People notice her when she leaves the house and children who play in the street chase and insult her。 This woman has a special talent: she can walk through crowds without touching anyone， and many have tried to "accidentally" run into her without succeeding。 Almost every afternoon， the Woman in the Purple Skirt （tWitPS） buys a single cream brioche and goes to the park in an unnamed Japanese city， where she returns to the same bench to eat it as the local children taunt her and compete for her attention。 She is observed at all times by the undetected narrator， the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan who checks what she eats， where she goes and who she encounters。 She watches her， constantly， day after day。 She knows her every waking move from dawn until dusk。 From a distance， the tWitPS looks like a schoolgirl， but there are age spots on her face， and her hair is dry and stiff。 Like the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan， she is single， she lives in a small， run-down apartment， and she is short on money。 The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan lures her to a job， under the pretence of wanting to be her friend， where she herself works， as a hotel housekeeper at a cleaning agency; soon twitPS is having an affair with the boss。 And here is where the two women’s paths finally intersect dramatically and unpredictably。 Unfortunately， no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan。 That's the difference between her and tWitPS。 Who are these two women really， whose only common traits seem to be precariousness and loneliness？ This is a scintillating， enthralling and compulsively readable thriller with creepiness simply oozing from its pages and the slightly surreal aura Japanese stories often exude， which I love。 It's a novel with high doses of humour that explores vulnerability and the difficulty of finding one's own place when one is different。 The subtle and disturbing tale of an obsession， a story that， in a crescendo of tension， gradually takes on the tones of the thriller， in a spiral of unexpressed desires， loneliness， dynamics of female power and condition， a desperate desire to be visible， to be considered and loved。 The cast of characters is small but this is perfect as it allows the focus to be solely on the two women at the centre of the story; they are both idiosyncratic， multidimensional and fascinating to read about and I read with more and more urgency to uncover why they were the way they were。 Studiously deadpan， highly original， and unsettling， tWitPS explores the dynamics of envy， the mechanisms of power in the workplace and the vulnerability of unmarried women in a taut， voyeuristic narrative about the sometimes desperate desire to be seen。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Verity Halliday
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The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a short， weird， voyeuristic novel narrated by The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan， who has an unhealthy fascination with Ms Purple Skirt。 Yellow closely observes Purple’s life， watching her eat a daily cream bun on a park bench and monitoring her comings and goings。 Yellow tries to influence Purple’s behaviour from a distance and engineers scenarios to try to contact Purple and initiate friendship。At first， the reader thinks that Purple Skirt is a quirky and odd cha The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a short， weird， voyeuristic novel narrated by The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan， who has an unhealthy fascination with Ms Purple Skirt。 Yellow closely observes Purple’s life， watching her eat a daily cream bun on a park bench and monitoring her comings and goings。 Yellow tries to influence Purple’s behaviour from a distance and engineers scenarios to try to contact Purple and initiate friendship。At first， the reader thinks that Purple Skirt is a quirky and odd character， but we slowly come to realise that Yellow Cardigan is much， much stranger。A quick， quirky read - recommended！Thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback。 。。。more
Chiara Liberio
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The woman in the purple skirt lives a life obsessively marked by rituals。 Once a week she goes to the park and always sits on the same bench in the park and eats the same cream bun。 She looks like a girl but on closer inspection her hair is dry and her skin marked。 We know everything about her from the woman in the yellow cardigan， her neighbour and our narrator， who is obsessed with her to the point of following her everywhere: after all the woman is the purple skirts is apparently noticed by e The woman in the purple skirt lives a life obsessively marked by rituals。 Once a week she goes to the park and always sits on the same bench in the park and eats the same cream bun。 She looks like a girl but on closer inspection her hair is dry and her skin marked。 We know everything about her from the woman in the yellow cardigan， her neighbour and our narrator， who is obsessed with her to the point of following her everywhere: after all the woman is the purple skirts is apparently noticed by everyone， or at least everyone seems to react to her， while the woman in the yellow cardigan is declaredly invisible。 All our narrator wants is befriend the woman in the purple skirt， and she eerily manages to manipulate various situations to get closer to her。 Through some manoeuvring， to this purpose the woman in the yellow cardigan， who works as a housekeeper in a luxury hotel， ensures that the other woman gets the same job in the same hotel。 As the newcomer is promoted and starts an affair with the director gossip starts to spread…。 A surreal novella on modern solitude and alienation where individuals are reduced to synecdoche， and a powerful commentary on what it means to be a woman in contemporary society which， in a clean prose marked by wry humour， continues the conversation started by Mieko Kawakami and Sayaka Murata。 We might view the two protagonists as embodying the condition of women in modern society， or we might even consider one as the double or projection of the other （after all， they are often to be found in the same place， cardigan is complementary to skirt and the narrator recognizes a certain likeness）。 Both live precarious lives with suffocatingly narrow options， either unemployed or employed in a dehumanising environment where a woman is targeted as object of gossip， envy or desire or humiliated and vilified， when she is not utterly invisible。 Only children in the park seem to acknowledge the woman in the purple skirt as an individual， and she engages with them in liberating play and talk which offers escape from the rules of a hyper-capitalistic， regimented adult world。 It is thanks to the children that the novel turns from claustrophobic to uplifting and redeeming in unexpected ways。 Deservedly winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize。 。。。more
Tilly Fitzgerald
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Narrated by someone we shall simply call ‘the woman in the yellow cardigan’， this is an addictive and hilarious look at one woman’s obsession with another。 At the heart of her obsession is ‘the woman in the purple skirt’， a woman who crowds seem to part for， and who has her own designated bench at the park which no one touches。 The woman in yellow will do anything to get close to her - she even discreetly points her in the direction of her own employer when the woman in purple is looking for wor Narrated by someone we shall simply call ‘the woman in the yellow cardigan’， this is an addictive and hilarious look at one woman’s obsession with another。 At the heart of her obsession is ‘the woman in the purple skirt’， a woman who crowds seem to part for， and who has her own designated bench at the park which no one touches。 The woman in yellow will do anything to get close to her - she even discreetly points her in the direction of her own employer when the woman in purple is looking for work。 The woman in the purple skirt has no idea that her every move is being tracked， which propels us into a rather darkly entertaining tale。。。The beauty of this novel is in its simplicity - the reality is that not much really happens until the end， but the voyeurism and brief interactions between these two women is fascinating and funny enough to keep you hooked from beginning to end。 The opening chapter rather sets the scene that maybe our narrator isn’t overly reliable as she lists off the many people who the woman in the purple skirt remind her of and constantly changes her mind - it gives a little away about her state of mind！ I just loved this - it’s very dry， definitely a quirky read but not in a complicated way。 It builds up to a bit of an action packed ending and whilst the identity of the woman in yellow probably won’t come as a surprise， it’s brilliant to see this final interaction between the two and to realise how oblivious the woman in purple has been to this woman shadowing her！ Just a really unique and compulsive read which left me wanting more！ 。。。more
Sarah Faichney
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"The Woman In The Purple Skirt" by Natsuko Imamura is beautifully translated to English by Lucy North。 It's a strangely compelling short read about obsession， envy， stalking and the fleeting nature of adulation。 The book raises more questions than it answers and is an undoubtedly odd， yet enjoyable， example of Japanese literature。 "The Woman In The Purple Skirt" by Natsuko Imamura is beautifully translated to English by Lucy North。 It's a strangely compelling short read about obsession， envy， stalking and the fleeting nature of adulation。 The book raises more questions than it answers and is an undoubtedly odd， yet enjoyable， example of Japanese literature。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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The woman in the yellow cardigan， who narrates this unusual novel of obsession， never actually approaches the woman in the purple skirt- but she wants to。 Purple skirt got her attention with her rigid routine， among other things， and while yellow cardigan desperately wants her as a friend （or something else？） she can't bring herself to introduce herself so she leaves her ads for jobs at the hotel where she works。 Things change when purple skirt takes the job and starts on an affair。 This is， ind The woman in the yellow cardigan， who narrates this unusual novel of obsession， never actually approaches the woman in the purple skirt- but she wants to。 Purple skirt got her attention with her rigid routine， among other things， and while yellow cardigan desperately wants her as a friend （or something else？） she can't bring herself to introduce herself so she leaves her ads for jobs at the hotel where she works。 Things change when purple skirt takes the job and starts on an affair。 This is， indeed， an odd little novel （it's short） that's more character than plot。 That's not to say， btw， that it isn't clever and appealing。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 Fans of literary fiction will enjoy this one。 。。。more
SheAintGotNoShoes
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Many kind thanks for selecting me as a winner in the giveaway ！ 💜💜Nice little psychological thriller。 It felt a bit claustrophobic being in the middle of a stalker and the woman she spies on so much that she ends up leaving work early， coming in late or not turning up at all。 I felt I was in a dark closet with these two women （ I did not necessarily want to get out， but was eager to know what would happen at the end ）。The end was a bit of a mystery and I am not sure if I understand it correctly Many kind thanks for selecting me as a winner in the giveaway ！ 💜💜Nice little psychological thriller。 It felt a bit claustrophobic being in the middle of a stalker and the woman she spies on so much that she ends up leaving work early， coming in late or not turning up at all。 I felt I was in a dark closet with these two women （ I did not necessarily want to get out， but was eager to know what would happen at the end ）。The end was a bit of a mystery and I am not sure if I understand it correctly or not but this was a very enjoyable read ！！！ 。。。more
Violet
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This is a weird novel。 It's been compared to Convenience Store Woman， and I can see why - a lone woman， odd characters， most of the action taking place in a work environment （a hotel in this case）。 This one felt just as cryptic at times， and somehow mysterious but I thought it also lacked some depth。 It is hard to figure out the characters， in a way the narrator （Yellow Cardigan Woman） and the co-worker she observes and stalks， The Woman in the Purple Skirt， are equivalent and feel interchangeab This is a weird novel。 It's been compared to Convenience Store Woman， and I can see why - a lone woman， odd characters， most of the action taking place in a work environment （a hotel in this case）。 This one felt just as cryptic at times， and somehow mysterious but I thought it also lacked some depth。 It is hard to figure out the characters， in a way the narrator （Yellow Cardigan Woman） and the co-worker she observes and stalks， The Woman in the Purple Skirt， are equivalent and feel interchangeable。 It was definitely an enjoyable （and quick） read， but I don't know that there was enough substance in it to make it particularly memorable。Free ARC sent by Netgalley。 。。。more
Amalia Gkavea
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