The Boy in the Earth
For such a tiny, tiny book, 'The Boy in the Earth' takes a long time to develop, but when it does....
Our narrator is a taxi-driver in Tokyo, a job he fell into because he likes the solitude and lack of intimacy. He's depressed and his suicidal thoughts are getting worse and he has dreams of being swallowed up by the earth. His live-in girlfriend is similarly burdened with depression and alcohol dependency.
Its clear that there's something more going on here than quarter-life ennui, but Nakamura holds out for a slow reveal, making us follow our narrator through self-destructive episodes and disturbing childhood memories.
This was not what I was expecting, but I was pretty damn impressed by the end of it.
