Heaven: A Novel

With profound tenderness and sensitivity, Japanese literary superstar Mieko Kawakami turns her unique gaze onto the causes and effects of violence. Raw but revelatory, this novel stands as a dazzling confirmation of Kawakami’s standing as one of her country’s most insightful and compelling novelists.

In Heaven, a shy high-school student is subjected to bullying from his classmates. The only person capable of understanding his ordeal is a young classmate. Who suffers similar treatment at the hands of her tormentors. Each finds in the other a unique sensibility capable of offering not only solace. But also a fresh perspective on their predicaments.