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  • Published: 22 April 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473578470
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 368

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

The no. 1 Japanese bestseller and Guardian 2021 highlight



A #1 Japanese bestseller and winner of the influential Japan booksellers' award, for fans of BEFORE COFFEE GETS COLD

For fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD, fairy tale and magic are weaved together in sparse language that belies a flooring emotional punch.

'Strange and beautiful. Imagine the offspring of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with The Virgin Suicides' GUARDIAN
'Genuinely affecting. A story of empathy, collaboration and sharing truths' FINANCIAL TIMES

Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami
_______________________________

Would you share your deepest secrets to save a friend?

In a tranquil neighbourhood of Tokyo, seven teenagers wake to find their bedroom mirrors are shining.

At a single touch, they are pulled from their lonely lives to a wondrous castle filled with winding stairways, watchful portraits and twinkling chandeliers. In this new sanctuary, they are confronted with a set of clues leading to a hidden room where one of them will be granted a wish. But there's a catch: if they don't leave the castle by five o'clock, they will be punished.

As time passes, a devastating truth emerges: only those brave enough to share their stories will be saved.

Tender, playful, gripping, LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR is a mesmerizing tale about the importance of reaching out, confronting anxiety and embracing human connection.


Readers love LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR:

***** 'This book has become one of my favourite Japanese reads of all time . . . A magical heartfelt read that will stay with you'
***** 'Unexpected, beautiful and heart-breaking . . . this is a work of fiction which reaches into the heart of a modern problem and has valuable insight'
***** 'Rich and vivid.This book is a symbol that 'there is always hope'

  • Published: 22 April 2021
  • ISBN: 9781473578470
  • Imprint: Transworld Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 368

About the author

Mizuki Tsujimura

MIZUKI TSUJIMURA is the winner of the Japan Booksellers' Award and the Naoki prize, two highly influential awards in Japan. Her novel LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR sold one million copies in Japan. She has writtten several mystery novels and is at work on a new novel. She lives in Japan.

Also by Mizuki Tsujimura

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Praise for Lonely Castle in the Mirror

A surge of Japanese women are redefining their nation's literature

VOGUE

Strange and beautiful. Imagine the offspring of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle with The Virgin Suicides

GUARDIAN

A moving, reflective and surprising novel... anyone who has ever struggled with feeling isolated, had difficulties at school, or had mental health struggles, will find this novel to be a cleansing balm.

CULTUREFLY

Neat twists and a genuinely affecting denouement. A story of empathy, collaboration and sharing truths, this is 'a modern, all-ages fairy tale' that should appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman and Studio Ghibli animations

FINANCIAL TIMES

There's a warmth to her writing, and Tsujimura has a mature ability to allow the story to speak for itself without narrative

JAPAN TIMES

An original and tender blend of social commentary and magical realism

THE JAPAN SOCIETY REVIEW

A worthwhile novel

Alison Fincher, Asian Review of Books