Diary of a Void

If you're in the mood for a matter-of-fact and incredibly thought-provoking read, you'll love Yagi's writing. * Stylist * [Diary of a Void's] subversive premise makes it one of the most intriguing new novels of the summer. * Independent, *Summer Reads of 2022* * Some premises prove so irresistible that they become crutches, excusing a colorless execution. That's not the case here. . . . Diary of a Void advances one of the most passionate cases I've ever read for female interiority, for women's creative pulse and rich inner life. * The New Yorker * Few novels live up to their promise of revelatory social commentary. But a particularly good one can still tempt even the most cynical of readers. . . . Yagi has a light touch for the endless ironies made possible by her premise. There is humor, but also the realization that the alienation of pregnancy and motherhood is no reprieve from the oppressive office culture that inspires Shibata's experiment. -- Lauren Oyler * New York Times Book Review * Delightful . . . Yagi's focus is on how acting pregnant reshapes Shibata's relationship to herself... Yet the book never idealizes pregnancy...We see the difficulty of being a woman with or without a child, and Yagi emphasizes how society makes both roles harder... If you've ever wanted to bite back at a nosy boss, a rude co-worker, an unfair assignment, or the endless list of shoulds we face, then maybe you'll find something to enjoy in Shibata's audacity too. -- Rowan Hisayo Buchanan * The Atlantic * The premise . . . is so elegant, it's one of those ideas that feels wonderfully familiar. . . . The tension grows along with the comedic details. . . . Diary of a Void starts as stylish satire about the societal luxuries afforded to pregnant woman, a cri de coeur for those who have yet to make such practical use of their wombs. But it becomes something even more profound. Always expect the unexpected when you're not expecting. -- Sloane Crosley * Departures * A subversive, surreal read that will strike a cord with many women. * Red Magazine * Shibata is a modern-day Bartleby, refusing to work simply because she doesn't want to. . . . Her lie is . . . the lie of the overworked, underpaid, and burned out. . . . The novel's real achievement is its refusal to moralize or elevate anything popularly thought to give life meaning: hard work, motherhood, material success, community. It's nihilistic to the extreme. * The Baffler * Darkly funny and surprisingly tender. -- Kirsty Logan, author of THINGS WE SAY IN THE DARK In Diary of a Void, what begins as a bud of a lie blossoms into a gripping and thought provoking examination of womanhood and motherhood in a patriarchal society. A short read but by no means is this a small story. -- An Yu, author of BRAISED PORK So tightly written, and so much fun to read. -- Kikuko Tsumura, author of THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS AN EASY JOB Comical and tender, absurd, bold and joyful. -- Aysegul Savas, author of WHITE ON WHITE I found myself completely captivated by this novel's unusual and inviting premise and all that it questions and stirs up. -- Aimee Bender, author of THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE I loved it. It's incredible. Diary of a Void is joyful, exuberant, and triumphant. It made my heart sing. -- Claire Oshetsky, author of CHOUETTE Yagi captures Shibata's loneliness and the community she's granted upon 'falling into step' with her married peers in such a keen way that, reading along, you're on pins and needles to discover what will happen as this fake pregnancy runs its course... The [fun] premise pays off. -- Eliza Smith * Literary Hub * Riveting and surreal . . . Absurdist, amusing, and clever, the story brings subtlety and tact to its depiction of workplace discrimination-as well as a touch of magic. Readers will eagerly turn the pages all the way to the bold conclusion. * Publishers Weekly * A surreal, engrossing meditation on loneliness, womanhood, and what it actually means to have a work-life b

Emi Yagi (Author) Emi Yagi is an editor at a women's magazine in Japan. She was born in 1988 and lives in Tokyo. Diary of a Void is her first novel; it won the Osamu Dazai Prize, awarded annually to the best debut work of fiction. Lucy North (Translator) Lucy North is a British translator of Japanese fiction and non-fiction. She has translated works by Taeko Kono, Hiromi Kawakami, Fumiko Enchi and Natsuko Imamura. David Boyd (Translator) David Boyd is assistant professor of Japanese at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has translated fiction by Hiroko Oyamada and Hideo Furukawa, among others.