Gifted

A moving portrayal of a troubled motherdaughter relationship, shortlisted for Japans prestigious Akutagawa Prize. In 2008, the unnamed narrator of Gifted is working as a hostess and living in Tokyos nightlife district. One day, her estranged mother, who is seriously ill, suddenly turns up at her door. As the mother approaches the end of her life, the two women must navigate their strained relationship, while the narrator also reckons with events happening in her own life, including the death of a close friend all under the bright lights of Tokyos sleepless town, Kabukicho. In sharp, elegant prose, and based on the authors own experiences as a sex worker, Gifted heralds the breakthrough of an exciting new literary talent.