Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida

Goodnight Tokyo is an ode to the unseen connections that reign in the sprawling city. This quirky English-language debut will please fans of Haruki Murakami and the films of Jim Jarmusch.

"The clock strikes one a.m."

Everything happens at night.

Mitsuki is a 'procurer' for a film company, searching for unusual props needed at all hours of the day. Today's request is for a 'peanut sheller' and fresh loquats (not kumquats) for a new Detective Shuro picture. Matsui drives an all-night taxi and often helps Mitsuki, knowing the city well. Where they find loquats, there is another surprise - a woman up in the tree. Kanako steals loquats to make wine and works at Tokyo No.3 Consultation Center, a phone line to help solve problems. Kanako has her own problem - her missing brother Ren. When her boss asks her to dispose of a defunct answering machine, Moriizumi offers a service that removes the revered item with somber care. Four women run the Yotsukado all-night diner where Matsui takes Kanako to eat. One of the owners laments her long-lost love, a magician named the Mighty Tashiro. Matsui recently had a passenger who remarked he was once a magician, but now is a revered detective—in fact, there are a series of films based on his cases. His father was an actor, and he asked to be driven to an all-night theatre showing his films, run by a manager whose sister works in a call center.

"Nights like this aren't all that uncommon."

Inspired and fresh, this novel of interconnected people reminded me of the classic La Ronde (a 1897 play and a 1950 film), highlighting we are never alone. Yoshida brings the nocturnal searches of these colourful characters to life in these serial short stories, which easily read as a novel. Entertaining with a touch of mystery, I look forward to more.

Atsuhiro Yoshida is an award-winning book designer and author of over 40 books.

2019 / Tradeback / 176 pages