An incredibly short, as well as utterly bizarre, collection of micro stories that push the bounds of fiction and continuity to their wit’s end.
Kawakami, through a comedic and semi-sardonic tongue, paints a small world that is far from normal. Whilst I’m not one to spoil books (especially not one that barely creeps beyond a hundred pages), I must say that creating events revolving around a fictional creature’s evolution into a baby, a silent battle between memory-warping individuals, and a festival about a kilometre of sand arriving in the neighbourhood seem crazed and otherworldly. (That’s only a few of the dozens of bizarre micro stories.)
And I suppose that is the draw of this collection: its insanity across its two or so hours of runtime. The stories within this collection, which would seem quite odd in isolation, can appear astonishingly normal in comparison to what is on the following page.
It’s worth the read for the insight into how Kawakami’s mind works. However, you won’t get much value for money if you do intend to buy People From My Neighbourhood, given how short it is and how the shock factor of each story can only really be experienced once.
Personally, I love its charming and affably stupid premise. I read it from beginning to end in essentially one sitting, so it is clearly able to entertain. But can I really recommend it? To traditional readers that possess traditional expectations, probably not. As for those who love quirky humour and complete nonsense, I think this would be a great little read.
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