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Arara no hatake
[The “Oh, My” Field]
Kaiseisha, 2019. 215 pp. ISBN 978-4-03-530950-5.
Also published in: Korean
This story is told in letters sent back and forth between Eri and Emi, two friends in the fourth grade of elementary school.
Eri, who has just moved from urban Yokohama to rural Yamaguchi Prefecture, is given a small field by her grandfather and makes new discoveries daily as she grows strawberries and herbs there. Weeds that sprout up again in new locations after being trodden on too many times, komatsuna greens that atavistically grow tougher leaves when birds eat them, and spiders that put less effort into their webs when a storm is on its way: the letters Eri writes to Emi convey her excitement at sensing the vital energy of living beings other than humans.
Meanwhile, Emi, who has remained at the same school in Yokohama, is worried about their childhood friend Ken, who refuses to leave his room after being bullied. In letters that clearly convey her care and concern, she tells Eri about sticking her leg through the cat door of Ken’s room, throwing a box of vegetables sent by Eri through that cat door only to discover that a lively frog was inside the box too, and learning that Ken has made a pet of the frog. When she writes at the end about seeing Ken riding his bicycle outside at last, it imparts hope to the reader as well.
In this digital age, the two girls actively choose to spend the time writing letters to each other. This, hints the book, is what makes it possible for their friendship to deepen as they imagine each other’s circumstances. (SY)
Eri, who has just moved from urban Yokohama to rural Yamaguchi Prefecture, is given a small field by her grandfather and makes new discoveries daily as she grows strawberries and herbs there. Weeds that sprout up again in new locations after being trodden on too many times, komatsuna greens that atavistically grow tougher leaves when birds eat them, and spiders that put less effort into their webs when a storm is on its way: the letters Eri writes to Emi convey her excitement at sensing the vital energy of living beings other than humans.
Meanwhile, Emi, who has remained at the same school in Yokohama, is worried about their childhood friend Ken, who refuses to leave his room after being bullied. In letters that clearly convey her care and concern, she tells Eri about sticking her leg through the cat door of Ken’s room, throwing a box of vegetables sent by Eri through that cat door only to discover that a lively frog was inside the box too, and learning that Ken has made a pet of the frog. When she writes at the end about seeing Ken riding his bicycle outside at last, it imparts hope to the reader as well.
In this digital age, the two girls actively choose to spend the time writing letters to each other. This, hints the book, is what makes it possible for their friendship to deepen as they imagine each other’s circumstances. (SY)
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Translation rights inquiries
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Email: foreign＠kaiseisha.co.jp
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