5 tales including the title story and it intrigued me on how the other 4 premises could captured an exact fit to that ‘The Dilemmas Of Working Women’ lore as well. Neat prose with sly addictive humor and interesting dynamics, all having a heroine narrator (except for the last story which narrated through a man’s POV) drowning in dilemma be it in ambition, relationships, financial pressures and societal expectations set in an ordinary slice-of-life setting, so meticulously observed especially on the emotional tensions and depiction of how complex a woman’s life could be.

Bit twisty with inviting full of flaws and rebellious women characters that get lured into the stressful survival and a self-destructive drama. Thrown in relationship mess, career pressure, friendship conflicts, familial madness, of heartbreaks and love scandals, as well how one’s get judge for just refusing to go along with the norms. It enthralled me too to see how the execution go relatable with present-day anxieties despite being first published 20+ years ago and was culturally nuanced to reflect the modern Japanese women during that era.

Loved the characterization for Planarian and The Dilemmas Of Working Women as well its drama-ish, melancholic, intense relationship/love related storytellings. Planarian especially piqued my sympathy for its engrossing self-fragility theme of a woman who is still struggling to let go her cancer related history. Here, Which Is Nowhere centered on a mother’s POV about her familial and workplace stress while Naked absorbed me in its disassociation and unsettling jobless by choice narrative. I liked how A Tomorrow Full Of Love being so punchy and explored its woman’s insight from a man’s perspective; my top fav among all.

Nothing too happy ending in these stories, bit ambiguous yet catered that bittersweet of life-still-goes-on at the end. An enticing and powerful collection overall. Add to fav!

(Thank you Times Reads for the gifted review copy!)