Someone to Watch Over You

“A shimmering, unsettling little novel about two people trying to get through each day. A sense of the profound bleakness of an average life pervades the book. But this oppressiveness is cut by instances of sharp, poetic sadness, such as a description of a train briefly held up in the dark after it runs over a “large, soft” animal. It’s the kind of novel that feels like looking out of a window at night.”
—The Paris Review

“Kimura’s taut, award-winning debut novella will transport readers back to a time when paranoia and distrust ran rampant. Lines are expertly drawn from this shared experience to broader issues of modern life: distrust of others, constant surveillance, and the loneliness that these engender. Fans of Han Kang will appreciate the sparse and affecting writing.”
—Library Journal