Japanese and Korean Novels

Yes, there is a bandwagon here, and yes, I have jumped on it. Japanese and Korean seem to have exploded onto the UK book scene over the past few years and I have become hooked on the genre.

I don’t recall which book first got me interested but it was probably either Before the Coffee Goes Cold or Days at the Morisaki Bookshop. I’m not completely sure why this particular genre is attractive to me but I’ve also been interested in Japanese culture. The stories themselves are often uplifting and moving, even if there is little of what we might consider “action”, or even “peril” which can make a nice change from a diet of thrillers and crime novels. It may be something to do with the translation from the source language but I often find these books an easy and pleasant read - short clear sentences, mostly declarative statements and direct speech. There are also typically insights into Japanese life, culture and (surprisingly often) food, usually lovingly described. Bookshops and cafes feature a lot (very populare subject matter for all avid readers!) And perhaps most importantly of all, most of the covers include a picture of cat!

You will find my current collection listed on the accompanying page

My favourites so far are those by Satoshi Yagisawa, especially Days at the Torunka Cafe.

What are your thoughts on these, or any other Japanese and Korean novels? Why have they become popular in the UK? What your favourites? Let me know in the comments.