Nagasaki is an understated, unobtrusive little novel. It's unobtrusive tranquil nature mirrors that of it's two central characters Shimura Kobo and his uninvited house guest. Neither character is entirely comfortable in the modern world, and neither has made any real connections with society. That seems to be the main message of the novel; that loneliness and a lack of connections with society can creep up on you. There are many ambiguities about this story, Shimura is upset by the intrusion into his life and private space, and yet is unwilling to condemn the woman when it comes to trial. He briefly feels enough of a connection towards his unknown intruder to want to warn her after he has called the police. He even imagines her as his wife for a short period. At the same time the woman understands that she is intruding into his home and yet feels she has a right to do so as it was her home as a child. If you want a story with a clear message then, probably this is the wrong book to choose; but if you can savour the ambiguity and shifting nature of a strangely compelling little story try this one.

This short novella is tells the tale of Shimura Kobo who begins to notice that food is going missing from his house. Because he lives on his own he finds this obviously disturbing and sets up a webcam to catch the thief in action. What he discovers is more than he could have imagined. Before I started this book the synopsis rang a vague bell. This is because it is based on a true story of an incident in Japan in 2008. Shimura san is a strange character. He lives alone, a situation which at first appears to be by design but which becomes apparent is something he is not entirely happy with. He likes his routine, to sit in the same tram seat, eat the same food, have items in their proper place. The solitary life of Shimura helps add to the atmosphere of the novel, giving a slightly creepy element to the first half. The discovery of who is behind the thefts makes Shimura question himself. He feels angry, angry at the intruder, at himself and at the women in his past who have rejected him, leading him to examine his life. This is a story that can easily be read in a sitting or two. Whilst I did like the book I would have perhaps liked to have a bit more of a conclusion, a little bit more information on the characters involved but it did want me to go back and read the news reports of the real event it is based on.