One country, one author: in Japan with Maïko Kato

The novelist Maïko Kato in the studio at RFI (July 2019). © RFI / Catherine Fruchon-Toussaint

By: Catherine Fruchon-Toussaint

Maïko Kato is Japanese and lives in Paris. In the shade of the water, his first novel, written in French and published by Editions du Seuil, was inspired by a survey carried out in a club in Kabukicho, a red light district in Tokyo, and by his experience as an intern in Dentsu, Japan's largest communications group (July 13, 2019 replay)

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Cover of the novel by Maïko Kato © Seuil

"Tokyo, 2014. A banker is found hanged in his apartment. Against the advice of his superiors, Captain Hiraï believes in the guilt of the high school student Hayato Hisaïshi.

Emi Yasukawa signs a pact with a powerful yakuza to take revenge for the mistreatment suffered in his high school.

Tokyo, 2019. Police officers Yoshida and Kanda decipher the mysterious messages left on the body of a woman found in Shibuya. Their suspicions are on Hayato, who became a club host in Shinjuku.

"Post-it girl" in a prestigious company, Emi sees her secret past resurface under the guise of the new managing director.

A disturbing puzzle takes shape, crossing their destinies, in an urban Japan which has become fierce. " (Presentation of the editor)

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  • Culture
  • France
  • Japan
  • French language
  • Literature

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