Winner of The Yomiuri Prize for Literature
The Japanese novel comes of age in this gripping story of love, art and life as a group of architects competes to design the new National Library of Modern Literature in Tokyo.
In 1980s Japan, newly-graduated Tōru Sakanishi joins a small, prestigious architecture firm founded by a former student of Frank Lloyd Wright. As the sweltering summer months approach, the team migrates from the bustling centre of Tokyo to the beautiful rural surroundings of Mount Asama, where several love stories are woven together and Sakanishi encounters four remarkable women who change the course of his life.
From honouring ancestors to illustrating the complexities of the living, Summer at Mount Asama is a prize-winning novel beautifully translated by National Book Award winner Margaret Mitsutani, offering a moving and elegant portrait of the clash of modernity and tradition.
Praise
‘A love letter to Japan, its modern design and ancient beauty.’
— National Geographic
‘A moving and elegant portrait of the clash of modernity and tradition.’
— Service95
‘Elegantly understated novel of a tenuous love affair in modern Japan . . . Packed with ideas about art, life, and love.’
— Kirkus Reviews
‘Matsuie’s Yomiuri Prize for Literature–winning debut examines the influence of Western culture on postwar Japan and the clash of modernity and tradition.’
— Library Journal (starred review)
‘A quietly compelling meditation on architecture and desire . . . subtle, precise, and deeply human.’
— Metropolis
‘The more I read, the more I fell in love with this beautiful novel . . . Its foremost charm is the fluent, clean-cut use of words. Nothing in Matsuie’s descriptions is superfluous, nor is anything missing, and the refreshing vitality of his prose is impressive. The birth of such a writer is cause for celebration.’
— Hiromi Kawakami
‘Like an expertly-crafted wooden chair, the prose sustains the perfect degree of tension.’
— Mariko Ozaki
‘[Matsuie’s] passion for writing has coupled effortlessly with his singular style and craftsmanship to give birth to a true masterpiece.’
— Yutaka Yukawa
‘The real protagonist of this tale is time. In language filled with the curiosity and uncertainty of youth, a budding architect depicts daily life in the villa, and his account is rich with deftly crafted episodes . . . Matsuie’s prose is faultless.’
— Natsuki Ikezawa
‘This novel is both captivating when still and beautiful in motion. Not a single movement is wasted. … The lingering reverberations of the finale are superb.’
—Yukiko Kounosu
‘The author’s literary style, which captures a time dense with the experience, learning and realizations of a young man, is astounding. Whether it is the laying of wood for a fire, food preparation, music, the scent of Karuizawa air, the warbling of birds, or the play of light, the author’s descriptions demonstrate that that which is important lies not in abstractions or concepts but in the concrete details of reality.’
— Yoko Hiramatsu
