A Perfect Day to Be Alone, Nanae Aoyama
A Perfect Day to Be Alone, Nanae Aoyama
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A Perfect Day to Be Alone
A Novel

Author: Nanae Aoyama, Jesse Kirkwood

Narrator: Mirai

Unabridged: 3 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/08/2025


Synopsis

The English-language debut of a prize-winning Japanese author, this touching, subtly funny novel evokes the daily struggles and hopes of two women from different generations.

When her mother emigrates to China for work, twenty-year-old Chizu moves in with seventy-one-year-old Ginko, an eccentric distant relative, taking a room in her ramshackle Tokyo home, with its two resident cats and the persistent rattle of passing trains.

Living their lives in imperfect symmetry, they establish an uneasy alliance, stress tested by Chizu's flashes of youthful spite. As the four seasons pass, Chizu navigates a series of tedious part-time jobs and unsatisfying relationships, before eventually finding her feet and salvaging a fierce independence from her solitude.

A Perfect Day to Be Alone is a moving, microscopic examination of loneliness and heartbreak. With flashes of deadpan humor and a keen eye for poignant detail, Aoyama chronicles the painful process of breaking free from the moorings of youth.

Reviews

Goodreads review by aly on March 30, 2025

Nanae Aoyama’s A Perfect Day to Be Alone is a novel that attempts to capture the quiet struggles of early adulthood but, alas falls short of leaving a lasting impression. The story follows 20-year-old Chizu as she moves to Tokyo, seeking independence while her mother works in China. With no money, s......more

Goodreads review by Alex.andthebooks on May 24, 2024

Interpretacja, którą dostajemy pod koniec książki nieco uratowała ten tytuł, ale kompletnie się z nim rozminęłam. Zlapalam się na tym, że nie interesuje mnie dokąd zmierzają historie.......more

Goodreads review by Paul on January 19, 2025

Japanese culture goes from one extreme to the other – movies like Guinea Pig : The Devil’s Experiment, Tetsuo The Iron Man, Tumbling Doll Of Flesh, Visitor Q and Tokyo Gore Police (watch these from behind your sofa or better don’t watch them at all); then books like Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakam......more

Goodreads review by DoGoryKsiazkami on May 25, 2024

No nie pykło nam. Skończyłam kilka godzin temu i już zdążyła z mojej głowy wyparować. Plus za tytuł i objaśnienie/interpretacje na końcu książki, która trochę to uratowała, ale z drugiej strony myślę, czy skoro te kilka słów objaśnienia na końcu, były potrzebne, to czy to nie oznacza, że książka był......more

Goodreads review by Laubythesea on August 31, 2024

2,5 ⭐️ Tengo sentimientos encontrados sobre ‘Un buen día para estar sola’ de la autora japonesa Nanae Aoyama.   En primer lugar, tengo que decir que me conquistó la preciosa ilustración de la cubierta. Una es así de superficial y nada más verla supe que la quería. También, el título me inspiraba una h......more