[An] exquisitely written observation of contemporary Japan... Jan Blensdorf is from Australia, but her sensitive perceptions of a society in crisis make this modern pillow book well worth its plucking from the publisher's slush pile

Cultural observations float through her prose like butterflies, but sting like a bee in the end

A poetic tale about the social constraints and collective unconscious of modern Japan... Like the Japanese calligraphy the narrator is taught, Blensdorf's sparse prose creates word-paintings of great subtlety

Set in Tokyo the story glides across the contradictions of contemporary Japanese culture - its deep traditions and manic consumerism...

A subtle meditation on beauty and womanhood

A fun read, the novel's charm lies in its quirky humour

This is poignant, quirky and delightfully original

Confirms that she's a writer to watch

A delightful tale

This is an assured second novel - and wonderful company for that long-overdue summer trip

Imaginative and transporting, but entirely unfussy and unsentimental, the novel is written with a glint in the eye that gives it that extra bit of wind beneath its wings

Wilson has done his research impeccably and he writes superbly well