Diary of a Void

Ms. Shibata is the only woman in her section at a Tokyo company that makes cardboard cores, which means she is also, unofficially, the one expected to make the coffee, wash the cups, and tidy up after everyone else. One morning, tired of it, she blurts out an excuse that changes everything: she can't clear away the dirty cups because the smell makes her nauseous — because she's pregnant.

She isn't. But the lie works instantly. Her colleagues soften, her workload lightens, and for the first time she can leave the office on time. Now she has nine months of ruse to maintain, complete with a pregnancy-tracking app, padded clothing, prenatal aerobics classes, and a growing circle of new friends who believe every word. As the performance deepens, the line between the life Shibata is inventing and the one she's actually living begins to blur.

Winner of Japan's Dazai Osamu Prize, Emi Yagi's sharp, deadpan debut is a feminist satire about overwork, loneliness, and the quiet absurdities women are asked to absorb — and what happens when one of them decides to opt out.