It’s been a little while since I brought up a Japanese novel, even though that is sort of my speciality here on The Steady Read. So why not mention a novel where Japan is quite literally gone, swallowed by the sea?
Scattered All Over the Earth primarily follows Hiruko, a former Japanese citizen now living in Denmark teaching immigrant children a self-made language called Panska (because countries and their native speakers keep vanishing).
Hiruko and a group of other nationalities eventually begin seeking out at least one more person who speaks her mother tongue, since the Japanese have all but vanished and however few remain have been scattered.
The novel is narrated by all of these characters from this group, likely giving each chapter a different perspective, tone, and narrative voice to spruce things up during their adventures.
Tawada’s novel seem zany, but unique and executed in an almost episodic, split up fashion that is rarely seen in fiction outside of narratively-linked short story collections. It is also a weird and hyperbolic forewarning regarding climate change, rising tides, and the continual issue of human displacement.
Fascinating, and definitely worth looking into further, but its quality and strength of its story will depend on its execution and how it plays with its science fiction concepts.
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