The Art of Vanishing: A novel
Lynne Kutsukake
Jun 2024 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Emily Shelton
headphones
Audiobook
8 hr 2 min
Unabridged
family_home
Eligible
info
Want a free 10 min sample? Listen anytime, even offline.
Add
About this audiobook
“A fascinating glimpse into the intersection of art, class, and the complexity of adult friendship. . . . I couldn’t put this book down.” —Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Turning Leaves
An intimate, explosive story of creativity and friendship between two young Japanese women in 1970s Tokyo.
Akemi’s desire for independence and aversion to marriage are unusual in her small village. A gift for drawing allows her to move to a rooming house in Tokyo where she studies medical illustration, finding satisfaction in the precision and purpose of her work. Sayako is the first roommate to pay Akemi attention, and they quickly become inseparable—Sayako drawn to Akemi’s humble origins, so distinct from her own insufferable, wealthy family; Akemi attracted to Sayako’s rebelliousness and her aspiration to be a painter.
As Akemi begins to model for Sayako, their connection deepens. Together, they attend ‘happenings,' encounters arranged by two enigmatic artists, Nezu and Kaori, in random locations, intended to free them from their worldly attachments. Following a devastating betrayal, Sayako disappears, and Akemi becomes determined to find her—and in the process, must newly face herself.
Tender, enthralling, and evocative of the energy of Japan in the 1970s, The Art of Vanishing is the story of a young woman struggling to see and be seen; of authenticity and art; of the thin line between loyalty and obsession.
An intimate, explosive story of creativity and friendship between two young Japanese women in 1970s Tokyo.
Akemi’s desire for independence and aversion to marriage are unusual in her small village. A gift for drawing allows her to move to a rooming house in Tokyo where she studies medical illustration, finding satisfaction in the precision and purpose of her work. Sayako is the first roommate to pay Akemi attention, and they quickly become inseparable—Sayako drawn to Akemi’s humble origins, so distinct from her own insufferable, wealthy family; Akemi attracted to Sayako’s rebelliousness and her aspiration to be a painter.
As Akemi begins to model for Sayako, their connection deepens. Together, they attend ‘happenings,' encounters arranged by two enigmatic artists, Nezu and Kaori, in random locations, intended to free them from their worldly attachments. Following a devastating betrayal, Sayako disappears, and Akemi becomes determined to find her—and in the process, must newly face herself.
Tender, enthralling, and evocative of the energy of Japan in the 1970s, The Art of Vanishing is the story of a young woman struggling to see and be seen; of authenticity and art; of the thin line between loyalty and obsession.
“A fascinating glimpse into the intersection of art, class, and the complexity of adult friendship. . . . I couldn’t put this book down.” —Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Turning Leaves
An intimate, explosive story of creativity and friendship between two young Japanese women in 1970s Tok...
Discover more
About the author
LYNNE KUTSUKAKE is a novelist and short story writer. Her debut novel, The Translation of Love, won the Canada-Japan Literary Award and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. A third-generation Japanese Canadian, she has a master's degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Toronto and studied Japanese literature in Japan on a Monbusho Scholarship. Fluent in Japanese, she has translated a short story collection, Single Sickness and Other Stories, by Mizuko Masuda. She has a degree in library and information science and for many years worked as a Japanese Studies librarian at the University of Toronto.
LYNNE KUTSUKAKE is a novelist and short story writer. Her debut novel, The Translation of Love, won the Canada-Japan Literary Award and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. A third-generation Japanese Canadian, she has a master's degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Toronto and studied ...
Rate this audiobook
Tell us what you think.
Listening information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can read books purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
