Hikikomori
Book not yet available in English
Summary:
No matter how much you try to hide, love can find you anywhere. A feeling made up of smiles and expectations, which speaks in silence and lies behind a screen as thin as rice paper. A call that draws you out of your den and makes you fly to the other side of the world, where cherry blossoms bloom, as symbols of beauty, transience, rebirth… A journey to the foot of Mount Fuji to discover the truth, to die or to return to life.
Edited by: Centro MeTRa - Università di Bologna (Italy)
Comment:
Luca, the sixteen-year-old protagonist of this novel, has a seemingly perfect life: everyone likes him, he is the captain of the basketball team, and his parents’ “champion.” But champions don’t cry or suffer from hyperosmia: an extreme sensitivity to smell that actually reflects his deep sensitivity of spirit. Luca feels oppressed by their expectations, which perhaps reflect those of society itself. After a bullying episode at school, he decides not to leave the house anymore. He meets Yukiko online, a Japanese girl of the same age who affectionately renames him “hikiko-chan” because of his extreme isolation. With her, Luca always tries to appear strong, funny, and rebellious, but eventually he slowly shows her the fragility that led him to isolate himself. The girl also tells him wonderful stories about her family, her father’s prestigious job, and her successes at school. However, in the second part of the book that is masterfully illustrated by Elisabetta Stoinich, we come to understand how unreliable both of their narratives are. “Hikikomori” is a poignant novel, with tough and challenging themes. The reading is more suited to fifteen- or sixteen-year-old readers and becomes increasingly compelling as Luca opens up to the world. It represents an insight into the profound contradictions of Japanese culture and a love capable of bringing a hikikomori out of his room, beyond chat rooms and beyond the ocean.