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Fault Lines
Combining the incisive intimacy of Sally Rooney with the sharp wit of Helen Fielding, a compulsively readable and astonishingly relatable debut novel about marriage, motherhood, love, self and the vibrant, surprising city that is modern Tokyo.
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.
Then, one rainy night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives—and in the end, we can choose only one.
Funny, provocative, and startlingly honest, Fault Lines is for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, who am I and how did I get here? A bittersweet love story and a piercing portrait of female identity, it introduces Emily Itami as a debut novelist with astounding resonance and wit.
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife. She has a hardworking husband, two adorable children, and a beautiful Tokyo apartment. It’s everything a woman could want, yet sometimes she wonders whether she would rather throw herself off the high-rise balcony than spend another evening not talking to her husband and hanging up laundry.
Then, one rainy night, she meets Kiyoshi, a successful restaurateur. In him, she rediscovers freedom, friendship, and the neon, electric pulse of the city she has always loved. But the further she falls into their relationship, the clearer it becomes that she is living two lives—and in the end, we can choose only one.
Funny, provocative, and startlingly honest, Fault Lines is for anyone who has ever looked in the mirror and asked, who am I and how did I get here? A bittersweet love story and a piercing portrait of female identity, it introduces Emily Itami as a debut novelist with astounding resonance and wit.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2021
705 people are currently reading
47998 people want to read
About the author
Emily Itami
6 books386 followersEmily Itami is the author of Fault Lines. She grew up in Tokyo before moving to London, where she now lives with her young family. She has been widely published as a freelance journalist and travel writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,240 reviews
March 9, 2025
Some days I can't quite work out how I got here; I opted for the guy, I opted for the kids, I just didn't realize that meant waving goodbye to everything else.
On the surface, Mizuki has it all: a handsome husband, two beautiful children, and a lovely home in bustling and frenetic Tokyo. So why does she feel so lonely and sad? Then she meets Kiyoshi and he makes her feel alive again. But she knows what she is doing can't go on, and she will have to make a choice soon. But how can she decide between impossible choices?
My heart aches for Mizuki. What she wants—what we all want—is to be seen and understood. But her traditional role as a housewife and her husband's rejection of her as anything other than a servant to him and a caretaker of their children makes that impossible. The building up of her loneliness, made all the more acute because she is surrounded by her family, feels hopeless and gut-wrenching.
As a woman, I was instantly sympathetic to Mizuki and her plight. I imagine most readers will relate to her, especially if they have ever been the nurturer in the relationship. When she sought to find that basic human connection with Kiyoshi, I couldn't help but cheer for her. To see her rediscover her spark after so long, unfurl into the fully-faceted person she used to be, and realize she's so much more than just a wife and a mother, is immensely satisfying.
This book's writing style drew me in from the first page. It's straightforward, funny, and witty, and I couldn't put it down. For a relatively short book, I was amazed that Emily Itami managed to wring so much out of it. Not only was the main story riveting, but it also contained many interesting observations about life, love, parenting, and relationships sprinkled throughout. I constantly caught myself nodding along and chuckling to the insightfulness of it all.
The only part of the story that fell a bit short for me was the ending. Obviously, when a story is about infidelity, there are only so many ways it can go. But as I grew close to Mizuki, I wanted so much more for her. I don't know what ending would've satisfied me, but the one that was given just didn't quite meet my lofty hopes.
Still, what a visceral and poignant story this was, deftly capturing the essence of our human need for connection and meaning. This is Itami's debut effort, and I cannot wait to read more from her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
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August 12, 2021
I can’t believe this is a debut novel. Well done, Emily Itami! There are authors whose vivid prose paints the setting and characters so beautifully that you’re immediately immersed in the story, taken away to another place, and this was one of those books for me. I have to confess though - it was actually the cover that first got me. How gorgeous is that? Luckily the inside was just as wonderful.
Told from her POV, Mizuki has been married to salaryman, Tatsuya, for sixteen years and they and their two children, 10-year-old daughter Eri, and 4-year-old son Aki live in a very nice Tokyo apartment. As happens in marriage sometimes, and exacerbated by Tatsuya’s high stress, time intensive position and her frustrations as a wife and mother, they’ve grown more and more distant. When she encounters handsome stranger Kiyoshi one day … life gets a little more complicated.
At its core, this is a story of a woman struggling as a wife and mother and trying to find comfort and emotional connection, or even just remember who she was in her pre-marriage life. For some it may seem that Mizuki’s behavior is somehow being justified or romanticized, but I really appreciated that her portrayal and that of her marriage, felt honest. She wasn’t always written in the most flattering light, but I always felt like she was “real”. You could understand her motivations whether you agreed with how she pursued them or not.
Borrowing the title’s imagery - the story beautifully illustrates the fault lines that are hidden under the surface of any relationship - the things that can shake us and break us if we’re not prepared. While that may sound like a depressing premise, I assure you that this is not some emotionally overwrought melodrama - far from it. Mizuki is sarcastic and blunt. There’s so much humor and warmth in this story, and I appreciated that the slow-build relationship between her and Kiyoshi focused far more on their friendship than the expected stuff.
It’s a wonderful story - start to finish. This will be in my 2021 favorites, and I’ll definitely be watching for anything Itami writes in the future. I can find no fault here!
★★★★★ ❤️
Many thanks to William Morrow and Custom House Publishing, Netgalley and author Emily Itami for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It’s due for publication September 7, 2021.
Told from her POV, Mizuki has been married to salaryman, Tatsuya, for sixteen years and they and their two children, 10-year-old daughter Eri, and 4-year-old son Aki live in a very nice Tokyo apartment. As happens in marriage sometimes, and exacerbated by Tatsuya’s high stress, time intensive position and her frustrations as a wife and mother, they’ve grown more and more distant. When she encounters handsome stranger Kiyoshi one day … life gets a little more complicated.
At its core, this is a story of a woman struggling as a wife and mother and trying to find comfort and emotional connection, or even just remember who she was in her pre-marriage life. For some it may seem that Mizuki’s behavior is somehow being justified or romanticized, but I really appreciated that her portrayal and that of her marriage, felt honest. She wasn’t always written in the most flattering light, but I always felt like she was “real”. You could understand her motivations whether you agreed with how she pursued them or not.
Borrowing the title’s imagery - the story beautifully illustrates the fault lines that are hidden under the surface of any relationship - the things that can shake us and break us if we’re not prepared. While that may sound like a depressing premise, I assure you that this is not some emotionally overwrought melodrama - far from it. Mizuki is sarcastic and blunt. There’s so much humor and warmth in this story, and I appreciated that the slow-build relationship between her and Kiyoshi focused far more on their friendship than the expected stuff.
It’s a wonderful story - start to finish. This will be in my 2021 favorites, and I’ll definitely be watching for anything Itami writes in the future. I can find no fault here!
★★★★★ ❤️
Many thanks to William Morrow and Custom House Publishing, Netgalley and author Emily Itami for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. It’s due for publication September 7, 2021.
October 2, 2021
Picture your run-of-the-mill, stereotypical, middle-aged man pulling up to a stoplight in his red Corvette convertible with one hand on the wheel and one arm around his trophy mistress. Then picture Mizuki, the female main character in Fault Lines, pulling up beside him, revving her engine, and running him off the road when the light turns green.
That’s the image I had in my mind while I was immersed in the world of Emily Itami’s beautifully written debut novel. Her “heroine,” Mizuki, is a Japanese woman whose dream of being a professional singer was abandoned so she could marry and raise children with a stoic-yet-hardworking husband. While not quite middle-aged, she meets her crisis in the form of an irresistible man named Kiyoshi. What follows is real, relatable and raw.
Fault Lines is a slim little novel - a mere 224 pages. If you’re interested in mothers’ perspectives, Japanese culture, or just discovering a new literary talent, it’s well worth the short time investment to read this story. I opted to listen to the audiobook that clocks in at 5:23. The narration is solid, yet it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that it’s performed by an English white woman. Such a shame that a character who’s rediscovering her voice is voiced by one unlike her own.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
That’s the image I had in my mind while I was immersed in the world of Emily Itami’s beautifully written debut novel. Her “heroine,” Mizuki, is a Japanese woman whose dream of being a professional singer was abandoned so she could marry and raise children with a stoic-yet-hardworking husband. While not quite middle-aged, she meets her crisis in the form of an irresistible man named Kiyoshi. What follows is real, relatable and raw.
Fault Lines is a slim little novel - a mere 224 pages. If you’re interested in mothers’ perspectives, Japanese culture, or just discovering a new literary talent, it’s well worth the short time investment to read this story. I opted to listen to the audiobook that clocks in at 5:23. The narration is solid, yet it’s a bit of a head-scratcher that it’s performed by an English white woman. Such a shame that a character who’s rediscovering her voice is voiced by one unlike her own.
Blog: https://www.confettibookshelf.com/
February 16, 2022
I enjoyed this rambling confession of a disenchanted Japanese housewife who embarks on a love affair with a man who was (probably) the true love of her life.
The author, Emily Itami, was raised in Japan, but currently lives in New York (according to one Bio. Another Bio has her living in England.) At any rate, the story is written in English (à la "Queen Elizabeth, pass the teapot please" English) and is rife with British slang. There has been some speculation on GR regarding these British overtones. I think it is obvious: much depends on who taught Emily Itami to speak English in the first place: one of her British parents? a British ex-pat tutor? or a North American ex-pat tutor? At any rate, the narrator of this audiobook, Lydia Wilson, has a British accent, so I don't understand the accusations of discordance from some GR reviewers. Wilson did a decent job but the first third of the audiobook was difficult to understand for me because the narrator often mumbled or slurred her words when the character, Mizuki, was saying something sarcastic or droll - which was often!
Mizuki was given the opportunity to be an exchange student in New York when she was sixteen.
This experience changed her and she was never again the "perfect, well-mannered Japanese girl." America had ruined her according to Mizuki's ultra-traditional mother.
After flunking out of school, Mizuki eventually returned to the U.S. and had a modestly successful singing career, but she began to miss her family and her culture, so she returned to Japan, and eventually married, became a conventional Japanese housewife and had two children.
The initial passionate flame in her "carefully chosen" marriage is extinguished by the passage of time and the rigours of the Japanese work ethic. Mizuki is resentful and justifies her affair with the intoxicating Kiyoshi as revenge for her husband's own extra-marital affairs, disdain and neglect.
Lurking in the background is the ever-present threat of an earthquake, and when this "silent character" inevitably makes its appearance in this story, the consequences are devastating, life changing - and, surprisingly, life affirming. Many GR reviewers disliked the ending, but I thought it was bittersweet and realistic. Mizuki loved her unruly and very "un-Japanese" children. They needed her and she was certainly not going to abandon them to an emotionally stifled life by choosing to run off with Kiyoshi to New York. I love that Mizuki's daughter will have a chance to spread her wings in Paris - just as Mizuki's father had done for her.
Ironically, Mizuki believes that she is a social failure because she does not behave like a proper Japanese wife and mother. But I had to give Mizuki many bonus points as I listened to this audiobook. I didn't fault her for having an affair during that arid time in her life when everyone seemed to be dumping on her. We all need to feel appreciated and needed.
I was very proud of her during that subway ride: despite her own terror, she pulled a "SuperMom" - she was there for her family and her children when they needed her most.
I'm rating this "true confession" short novel a 4 out of 5 stars - a great debut effort!
(I can't believe I accidentally deleted my review on GR!!!
Good thing I had already posted it on my blog, but I had to re-insert the GIFS and Images again.
Sorry to all of my GR friends who posted comments and likes, but I was trying to clear up my duplicate postings on GR. ( I wish GR would allow us just to MERGE the two listings.)
This time, given this fresh opportunity, I did a few things a little differently....)
The author, Emily Itami, was raised in Japan, but currently lives in New York (according to one Bio. Another Bio has her living in England.) At any rate, the story is written in English (à la "Queen Elizabeth, pass the teapot please" English) and is rife with British slang. There has been some speculation on GR regarding these British overtones. I think it is obvious: much depends on who taught Emily Itami to speak English in the first place: one of her British parents? a British ex-pat tutor? or a North American ex-pat tutor? At any rate, the narrator of this audiobook, Lydia Wilson, has a British accent, so I don't understand the accusations of discordance from some GR reviewers. Wilson did a decent job but the first third of the audiobook was difficult to understand for me because the narrator often mumbled or slurred her words when the character, Mizuki, was saying something sarcastic or droll - which was often!
Mizuki was given the opportunity to be an exchange student in New York when she was sixteen.
This experience changed her and she was never again the "perfect, well-mannered Japanese girl." America had ruined her according to Mizuki's ultra-traditional mother.
After flunking out of school, Mizuki eventually returned to the U.S. and had a modestly successful singing career, but she began to miss her family and her culture, so she returned to Japan, and eventually married, became a conventional Japanese housewife and had two children.
The initial passionate flame in her "carefully chosen" marriage is extinguished by the passage of time and the rigours of the Japanese work ethic. Mizuki is resentful and justifies her affair with the intoxicating Kiyoshi as revenge for her husband's own extra-marital affairs, disdain and neglect.
Lurking in the background is the ever-present threat of an earthquake, and when this "silent character" inevitably makes its appearance in this story, the consequences are devastating, life changing - and, surprisingly, life affirming. Many GR reviewers disliked the ending, but I thought it was bittersweet and realistic. Mizuki loved her unruly and very "un-Japanese" children. They needed her and she was certainly not going to abandon them to an emotionally stifled life by choosing to run off with Kiyoshi to New York. I love that Mizuki's daughter will have a chance to spread her wings in Paris - just as Mizuki's father had done for her.
Ironically, Mizuki believes that she is a social failure because she does not behave like a proper Japanese wife and mother. But I had to give Mizuki many bonus points as I listened to this audiobook. I didn't fault her for having an affair during that arid time in her life when everyone seemed to be dumping on her. We all need to feel appreciated and needed.
I was very proud of her during that subway ride: despite her own terror, she pulled a "SuperMom" - she was there for her family and her children when they needed her most.
I'm rating this "true confession" short novel a 4 out of 5 stars - a great debut effort!
(I can't believe I accidentally deleted my review on GR!!!
Good thing I had already posted it on my blog, but I had to re-insert the GIFS and Images again.
Sorry to all of my GR friends who posted comments and likes, but I was trying to clear up my duplicate postings on GR. ( I wish GR would allow us just to MERGE the two listings.)
This time, given this fresh opportunity, I did a few things a little differently....)
May 30, 2021
Watashi wa hon ga daisuki desu!
I love Japanese culture so this book was a win from the start. Perfection from the cherry blossoms on the beautiful cover, to the Tokyo setting, and everything in between, I loved it beyond just the plot.
I’ll forgo the summary in lieu of expressing my appreciation for the exceptional tone and prose.
Despite the solemn subjects of adultery and suicide, there was a lightness to the main character’s self critique. Infusing wit into the daily life of a Japanese wife and mother, Mizuki was written with warmth and humor in contrast to the not so nice aspect of her adulterous affair.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition as I felt empathy and even liked her. Did I mention that she was funny? Her character driven unique observations ignited more than a few snort fests in an otherwise somber conundrum.
Descriptions of Tokyo, Mizuki’s fabulous French comrades, and fashion week were additional positives for me and heightened an already wonderful reading experience.
As an aside, I had to smile at the mention of a weight loss diet of natto and grated yam because if anything could dim my appetite, it would be natto. I love Japanese food with this being an exception.
Not a Western staple, it’s a bland looking tan paste of fermented soy beans. The sour taste defies its tame appearance and the slimy raw egg texture isn’t easily endured.
In my one experience, and attempting not to offend my hosts, I forced myself to eat a portion (for breakfast no less) and then hid the remainder under some rice claiming I was full. Friends told me later that it’s an acquired taste and not everyone is a fan.
Back to the review, this is the type of book I always hope to stumble on.
I loved this and Emily Itami is now a ‘must read’ author so I hope for future offerings.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Custom House for my electronic review copy in advance of publication on September 28, 2021.
I love Japanese culture so this book was a win from the start. Perfection from the cherry blossoms on the beautiful cover, to the Tokyo setting, and everything in between, I loved it beyond just the plot.
I’ll forgo the summary in lieu of expressing my appreciation for the exceptional tone and prose.
Despite the solemn subjects of adultery and suicide, there was a lightness to the main character’s self critique. Infusing wit into the daily life of a Japanese wife and mother, Mizuki was written with warmth and humor in contrast to the not so nice aspect of her adulterous affair.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition as I felt empathy and even liked her. Did I mention that she was funny? Her character driven unique observations ignited more than a few snort fests in an otherwise somber conundrum.
Descriptions of Tokyo, Mizuki’s fabulous French comrades, and fashion week were additional positives for me and heightened an already wonderful reading experience.
As an aside, I had to smile at the mention of a weight loss diet of natto and grated yam because if anything could dim my appetite, it would be natto. I love Japanese food with this being an exception.
Not a Western staple, it’s a bland looking tan paste of fermented soy beans. The sour taste defies its tame appearance and the slimy raw egg texture isn’t easily endured.
In my one experience, and attempting not to offend my hosts, I forced myself to eat a portion (for breakfast no less) and then hid the remainder under some rice claiming I was full. Friends told me later that it’s an acquired taste and not everyone is a fan.
Back to the review, this is the type of book I always hope to stumble on.
I loved this and Emily Itami is now a ‘must read’ author so I hope for future offerings.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Custom House for my electronic review copy in advance of publication on September 28, 2021.
December 15, 2021
“Fault Lines” by Emily Itami is a dreamy story about a dissatisfied Japanese housewife named Mizuki. Mizuki has two beautiful children, a boy and a girl. Her husband is a very hard-working Japanese businessman whose work has overtaken his life. Meanwhile, Mizuki cannot keep up with the expectations of Japanese mothers, the perfection expected is what she compares to a cult. Plus, Mizuki used to be a cabaret singer prior to her marriage, and she misses the nightlife.
Mizuki quietly narrates her story. I enjoyed learning what is expected of Japanese mothers. The weight of the ideal is crushing her. She recognizes she has a beautiful apartment, with a hardworking husband, and two perfect children, yet she is unhappy.
She meets a man, Kiyoshi, and begins an affair that reawakens her youthful spirit, but at a cost.
Many a mother has looked in the mirror and wondered “how did I get here?” and author Itami writes a fantastic story of a woman’s reckoning with her choices.
I listened to the audio production narrated by Lydia Wilson. Her voice is soothing a perfect for Mizuki.
Mizuki quietly narrates her story. I enjoyed learning what is expected of Japanese mothers. The weight of the ideal is crushing her. She recognizes she has a beautiful apartment, with a hardworking husband, and two perfect children, yet she is unhappy.
She meets a man, Kiyoshi, and begins an affair that reawakens her youthful spirit, but at a cost.
Many a mother has looked in the mirror and wondered “how did I get here?” and author Itami writes a fantastic story of a woman’s reckoning with her choices.
I listened to the audio production narrated by Lydia Wilson. Her voice is soothing a perfect for Mizuki.
August 23, 2021
I can't remember the last time I highlighted so many passages in a novel. Emily Itami has a very bright future ahead of her.
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife and mother of two children. Her husband is a hardworking man that works long hours but he's a good husband and father. She has everything she could ever ask for so why is she so unhappy?
"Is it normal to fluctuate so quickly between feeling tender toward your husband and fervently wishing him a violent death?"
After a decade of marriage she feels invisible. Her husband rarely looks at her anymore and their sex life is non-existent. She never imagined getting married and having children would be so lonely. She feels as if she gave up all her hopes and dreams to play a doting housewife and that is the last thing she ever wanted to become.
"Some days I can't quite work out how I got here; I opted for the guy, I opted for the kids, I just didn't realize that meant waving goodbye to everything else."
So when she has a random encounter with an attractive man she is instantly captivated by the attention he showers her. He really listens to her, they banter and laugh easily with one another and she finds that she is not only sexually attracted to this man but she has also become emotionally attached to him which makes her feelings even more complicated. Deep down she knows what she is doing is wrong but she is too weak to fight it.
"I love being able to tell him exactly what I'm thinking. Not having to put it through the good-parenting filter I use for my children, or the perpetual war communication calculations I do with Tatsu, or the edited, rose-tinted truth I feed my mother."
I have a feeling many women are going to be able to relate to Mizuki as I know I certainly did. There have been days that I resent my husband, that my kid drives me out of my mind, and it takes every bit of my patience just to hold it together and not scream at the top of my lungs. If you've ever had days like that then this is one to pick up. Mizuki is also incredibly witty and funny which helps alleviate any sense of gloom a book about infidelity could inevitably have. I found the ending fitting and satisfying. All in all this is a wonderful debut that shouldn't be missed. 4.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my copy.
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife and mother of two children. Her husband is a hardworking man that works long hours but he's a good husband and father. She has everything she could ever ask for so why is she so unhappy?
"Is it normal to fluctuate so quickly between feeling tender toward your husband and fervently wishing him a violent death?"
After a decade of marriage she feels invisible. Her husband rarely looks at her anymore and their sex life is non-existent. She never imagined getting married and having children would be so lonely. She feels as if she gave up all her hopes and dreams to play a doting housewife and that is the last thing she ever wanted to become.
"Some days I can't quite work out how I got here; I opted for the guy, I opted for the kids, I just didn't realize that meant waving goodbye to everything else."
So when she has a random encounter with an attractive man she is instantly captivated by the attention he showers her. He really listens to her, they banter and laugh easily with one another and she finds that she is not only sexually attracted to this man but she has also become emotionally attached to him which makes her feelings even more complicated. Deep down she knows what she is doing is wrong but she is too weak to fight it.
"I love being able to tell him exactly what I'm thinking. Not having to put it through the good-parenting filter I use for my children, or the perpetual war communication calculations I do with Tatsu, or the edited, rose-tinted truth I feed my mother."
I have a feeling many women are going to be able to relate to Mizuki as I know I certainly did. There have been days that I resent my husband, that my kid drives me out of my mind, and it takes every bit of my patience just to hold it together and not scream at the top of my lungs. If you've ever had days like that then this is one to pick up. Mizuki is also incredibly witty and funny which helps alleviate any sense of gloom a book about infidelity could inevitably have. I found the ending fitting and satisfying. All in all this is a wonderful debut that shouldn't be missed. 4.5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for my copy.
November 17, 2021
"Fault Lines" by Emily Itami is a beautifully written debut novel!
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife married to Tatsuya and living in a luxury apartment with their two beautiful children in the buzz, excitement and sparkle of Tokyo. So why does she feel so sad?
Mizuki is lonely, feels unappreciated and misses the man she married. She feels Tatsuya is different since taking a high-pressure job and working too many hours. At home, he's distant and non-communicative.
Mitzuki remembers her life before her marriage to Tatsuya. Now she wonders if she made the right choices and what her life would be like if she had never married him.
On an evening out Mizuki meets successful restaurateur Kiyoshi. She's drawn to him and the attention he shows her. She feels an immediate connection to him and agrees to meet with him multiple times. Is she crossing a line she shouldn't cross?
I love the character of Mizuki. She's honest, caring and real. She's a wonderful mother and her children are adorable and authentic. She loves her husband but she no longer recognizes him as the man she married. When she's with Kiyoshi she feels happy, alive and valued. Emotions she doesn't feels when she's with her husband.
The author's writing is beautiful, her story is touching and the title 'Fault Lines' is perfect! Aren't there cracks in all relationships? Knowing what they are and being prepared when they surface is part of understanding the other individual's perspective.
This is a quick five hour listen. It's intense, emotional, conflicting and at times humorous. I love the voice of the narrator, Lydia Wilson and, even though she has a British accent, the picture of a Japanese woman was clear in my mind. Most of the story is told through the voice of Mizuki so even though the narrator's gender voicing wasn't perfect it was passable.
4.5 stars for the story, 4 stars for the audiobook averaging 4.25 stars. I enjoyed this author's debut novel and creative story. I look with interest at what she comes up with next. Highly recommend!
Mizuki is a Japanese housewife married to Tatsuya and living in a luxury apartment with their two beautiful children in the buzz, excitement and sparkle of Tokyo. So why does she feel so sad?
Mizuki is lonely, feels unappreciated and misses the man she married. She feels Tatsuya is different since taking a high-pressure job and working too many hours. At home, he's distant and non-communicative.
Mitzuki remembers her life before her marriage to Tatsuya. Now she wonders if she made the right choices and what her life would be like if she had never married him.
On an evening out Mizuki meets successful restaurateur Kiyoshi. She's drawn to him and the attention he shows her. She feels an immediate connection to him and agrees to meet with him multiple times. Is she crossing a line she shouldn't cross?
I love the character of Mizuki. She's honest, caring and real. She's a wonderful mother and her children are adorable and authentic. She loves her husband but she no longer recognizes him as the man she married. When she's with Kiyoshi she feels happy, alive and valued. Emotions she doesn't feels when she's with her husband.
The author's writing is beautiful, her story is touching and the title 'Fault Lines' is perfect! Aren't there cracks in all relationships? Knowing what they are and being prepared when they surface is part of understanding the other individual's perspective.
This is a quick five hour listen. It's intense, emotional, conflicting and at times humorous. I love the voice of the narrator, Lydia Wilson and, even though she has a British accent, the picture of a Japanese woman was clear in my mind. Most of the story is told through the voice of Mizuki so even though the narrator's gender voicing wasn't perfect it was passable.
4.5 stars for the story, 4 stars for the audiobook averaging 4.25 stars. I enjoyed this author's debut novel and creative story. I look with interest at what she comes up with next. Highly recommend!
June 15, 2023
This is the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club April 2023 selection.
A quiet yet vivid story set against the backdrop of Tokyo in springtime. When Andrea at Main Street Books said she'd loved this literary novel with echoes of Madame Bovary and a forty-ish female protagonist rethinking her whole life, I snapped it right up. The story is about Mizuki, an affluent Japanese singer-turned housewife who loves her workaholic husband and two beautiful children but has grown lonely and bored with her life. When she catches the interest of a handsome restaurateur, she is unable to resist the advances of a man who actually "thought about the answers to the questions I asked him and looked right at me when he replied."
A quiet yet vivid story set against the backdrop of Tokyo in springtime. When Andrea at Main Street Books said she'd loved this literary novel with echoes of Madame Bovary and a forty-ish female protagonist rethinking her whole life, I snapped it right up. The story is about Mizuki, an affluent Japanese singer-turned housewife who loves her workaholic husband and two beautiful children but has grown lonely and bored with her life. When she catches the interest of a handsome restaurateur, she is unable to resist the advances of a man who actually "thought about the answers to the questions I asked him and looked right at me when he replied."
October 9, 2021
"The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation."-Henry David Thoreau
Mizuki is a wife, a mother, and a former singer, now leading a quiet life in Tokyo, playing the role she's supposed to play. She moves soundlessly from one day to the next in the monotonous Groundhog Day that is parenthood. Her children are wonderful, her husband's career affords them a stunning apartment with a balcony, and she wants for nothing.
... Except absolutely everything.
Mizuki alternates between reminiscing about her past marital joys and thanking her lucky stars each time she has a quiet night with no forced romance between her and husband, waiting for the moment when the minutiae of parenthood becomes second nature...and enjoyable at that. Life takes her by surprise however, when it thrusts the enigmatic and kind Kiyoshi in her path, an entrepreneurial restaurateur who REALLY sees her, exactly for the whole person she is...not just the pieces society values most.
Long conversations with Kiyoshi envelop Mizuki in the warm glow she's been searching for, and tiny pieces of her soul come back to her, full force, reminding her of long nights singing in clubs to adoring fans and all that she has given up for the 'perfect' life she has now. Her relationship with Kiyoshi deepens, and as their relationship wanders into different territory, Mizuki begins to question everything she thought always kept her grounded and the choices that have left her in this predicament. Is her future set in stone...or have these cracks appeared for a reason? Has the old Mizuki been given a second chance to shine...and will she take it?
Itami is an thoughtful, lyrical, and witty writer, the type who can take even the most basic situation and layer it with nuance and get your mind spinning. It's hard to believe this is a debut, but WOW. What a writer! As a new mom and wife, it was easy to connect with the pangs of longing Mizuki felt throughout the novel as she contemplated all she had but all she'd had to give up to get there. The chapters are short, but impactful, and gave me a feeling that reminded me of the young 'revolutionary' Wheelers in Yates' Revolutionary Road, another novel that struck a chord with me and explored the sort of quiet desperation that comes with imagining a different life.
This is a book of sharp thoughts with soft edges: Mizuki is a beautifully explored, defined, and refined woman who goes through an incredible metamorphosis of sorts from page one until the novel's unexpected ending, and it's up to you to decide whether the life she chooses suits her best. I savored every word and just didn't want it to end.
A gorgeous work of literary fiction and EASILY one of my favorites of 2021!
4.5 ⭐
Special thanks to my GR friends Kat, Michelle, Christina, and Regina for inspiring me to read this book!
Mizuki is a wife, a mother, and a former singer, now leading a quiet life in Tokyo, playing the role she's supposed to play. She moves soundlessly from one day to the next in the monotonous Groundhog Day that is parenthood. Her children are wonderful, her husband's career affords them a stunning apartment with a balcony, and she wants for nothing.
... Except absolutely everything.
Mizuki alternates between reminiscing about her past marital joys and thanking her lucky stars each time she has a quiet night with no forced romance between her and husband, waiting for the moment when the minutiae of parenthood becomes second nature...and enjoyable at that. Life takes her by surprise however, when it thrusts the enigmatic and kind Kiyoshi in her path, an entrepreneurial restaurateur who REALLY sees her, exactly for the whole person she is...not just the pieces society values most.
Long conversations with Kiyoshi envelop Mizuki in the warm glow she's been searching for, and tiny pieces of her soul come back to her, full force, reminding her of long nights singing in clubs to adoring fans and all that she has given up for the 'perfect' life she has now. Her relationship with Kiyoshi deepens, and as their relationship wanders into different territory, Mizuki begins to question everything she thought always kept her grounded and the choices that have left her in this predicament. Is her future set in stone...or have these cracks appeared for a reason? Has the old Mizuki been given a second chance to shine...and will she take it?
Itami is an thoughtful, lyrical, and witty writer, the type who can take even the most basic situation and layer it with nuance and get your mind spinning. It's hard to believe this is a debut, but WOW. What a writer! As a new mom and wife, it was easy to connect with the pangs of longing Mizuki felt throughout the novel as she contemplated all she had but all she'd had to give up to get there. The chapters are short, but impactful, and gave me a feeling that reminded me of the young 'revolutionary' Wheelers in Yates' Revolutionary Road, another novel that struck a chord with me and explored the sort of quiet desperation that comes with imagining a different life.
This is a book of sharp thoughts with soft edges: Mizuki is a beautifully explored, defined, and refined woman who goes through an incredible metamorphosis of sorts from page one until the novel's unexpected ending, and it's up to you to decide whether the life she chooses suits her best. I savored every word and just didn't want it to end.
A gorgeous work of literary fiction and EASILY one of my favorites of 2021!
4.5 ⭐
Special thanks to my GR friends Kat, Michelle, Christina, and Regina for inspiring me to read this book!
November 4, 2021
This is an achingly realistic representation of the feelings associated with being a woman who is married and has young children. There’s both love and anger, laughter and crying, and hope and remorse. All of which I can relate to, but the adultery not so much. I can however understand the desire to have a life of your own again that doesn’t involve your children while at the same time not wanting to trade your children for anything or anyone else.
As an American, I also appreciated the insight into modern day Japanese life and culture, as if I was one of the expat clients of the main character - which was an ingenious ploy by the author. This was a quick read/listen, and I recommend it especially if you are or have been in this stage of life.
As an American, I also appreciated the insight into modern day Japanese life and culture, as if I was one of the expat clients of the main character - which was an ingenious ploy by the author. This was a quick read/listen, and I recommend it especially if you are or have been in this stage of life.
November 30, 2021
Mizuki dreams to be a singer. She was an exchange student in NYC and sang at a local club. She lived in America for several years. After returning to Japan, she lives in Tokyo and is married with two children. Mizuki as a housewife is an unhappy, invisible, and disconnected Mizuki. Meeting Kiyoshi, a handsome restauranteur who gives her attention makes her alive again.
I really enjoy Itami's writing style and this book went by so fast, I can't believe it's over. This started out as a four stars read for me, but I thought the ending was kind of weak, but a "safe" one.
What I can't shake off and has been bothering me the whole time is the audiobook is in a British accent! Well done and no fault of the narrator, Lydia Wilson, she sounds like a very nice Mizuki. But Japanese words sound like how a foreigner would say them. What a shame. I don't understand how the production company can't bother to find a Japanese descent actress/voice actor to read the part?
I really enjoy Itami's writing style and this book went by so fast, I can't believe it's over. This started out as a four stars read for me, but I thought the ending was kind of weak, but a "safe" one.
What I can't shake off and has been bothering me the whole time is the audiobook is in a British accent! Well done and no fault of the narrator, Lydia Wilson, she sounds like a very nice Mizuki. But Japanese words sound like how a foreigner would say them. What a shame. I don't understand how the production company can't bother to find a Japanese descent actress/voice actor to read the part?
October 9, 2021
I appreciated this how Emily Itami showed the protagonist’s unhappy feelings about domesticity, married life, and having kids. While the narrator loves her children and cares for them well, she also expresses disappointments about the constraints of her life, which I liked given how women are taught to idolize motherhood and often feel pressured into motherhood. Itami does a great job of describing the protagonist’s bicultural upbringing too and how it affects her perspective on life.
At the same time I feel like Fault Lines did not really go anywhere. It made a strong statement about the potential pitfalls of domesticity for sure. And, it suffered from a lackluster ending in my opinion – a major event happens and then suddenly everything shifts and falls into place for the protagonist. I wanted Itami to show us deeper conversations, to reveal how the characters struggled before reaching their final destination. Additionally, while I liked the writing in this novel, it didn’t wow me.
A novel/short story collection that addressed similar themes in a more dynamic way is So We Look to the Sky by Misumi Kubo, which I read earlier this year and greatly enjoyed.
At the same time I feel like Fault Lines did not really go anywhere. It made a strong statement about the potential pitfalls of domesticity for sure. And, it suffered from a lackluster ending in my opinion – a major event happens and then suddenly everything shifts and falls into place for the protagonist. I wanted Itami to show us deeper conversations, to reveal how the characters struggled before reaching their final destination. Additionally, while I liked the writing in this novel, it didn’t wow me.
A novel/short story collection that addressed similar themes in a more dynamic way is So We Look to the Sky by Misumi Kubo, which I read earlier this year and greatly enjoyed.
April 29, 2022
3.5 STARS
A character study about a Japanese housewife. Her name is Mizuki and she has two children, a businessman hubby with a good work ethic, and a beautiful home. What more could she ask for?
Well, it seems she is dissatisfied. The grass is always greener on the other side. She is actually a "bored" housewife and complains quite a bit, she came off a bit whiny at times. She narrates the story, so we get a good dose of her wants and what disappoints her, though she does love her kids. I had some strong feelings towards her.
If you enjoy literary fiction, this is a good debut. If you need more of a plot driven story, this doesn't really "go anywhere", its more about the housewife. She sometimes is doing unacceptable things and other times we experience "mundane" things with her. After all, she is a bored housewife.
I liked it, but would have really enjoyed more of the Japenese culture and maybe another POV. Mizuki seems depressed for much of the book, although the snippets of humor were very welcome.
A short read at 224 pages, but it was long enough for me.
A character study about a Japanese housewife. Her name is Mizuki and she has two children, a businessman hubby with a good work ethic, and a beautiful home. What more could she ask for?
Well, it seems she is dissatisfied. The grass is always greener on the other side. She is actually a "bored" housewife and complains quite a bit, she came off a bit whiny at times. She narrates the story, so we get a good dose of her wants and what disappoints her, though she does love her kids. I had some strong feelings towards her.
If you enjoy literary fiction, this is a good debut. If you need more of a plot driven story, this doesn't really "go anywhere", its more about the housewife. She sometimes is doing unacceptable things and other times we experience "mundane" things with her. After all, she is a bored housewife.
I liked it, but would have really enjoyed more of the Japenese culture and maybe another POV. Mizuki seems depressed for much of the book, although the snippets of humor were very welcome.
A short read at 224 pages, but it was long enough for me.
August 18, 2021
Mizuki is a housewife in Tokyo, in the kind of marriage where she barely sees her constantly working husband and when she does, their conversations are either completely routine and surface level, or seething with resentment, at least on her end. Tatsu, her husband, doesn’t seem as if he even cares enough to be upset at this state of their stale marriage, which only leads to more resentment for Mizuki. She knows she should be satisfied. She has a beautiful home and family that most people dream of, and her husband, while distant, is a good man. But when she meets someone who makes her feel truly seen, who is the kind of person who actually sits and contemplates the answers to questions before just spouting off, as if he really cares and truly wants to know her and her to know him, she is conflicted. How long can she pretend that this will never go further than friendship, and that she isn't playing a very dangerous game spending time with him. And what will this mean for her marriage. Will the fault lines finally crack enough to bring everything crashing down?
This is a beautiful character study and one that isn’t afraid to present a flawed person making some bad, but very realistic decisions. It isn’t black and white, the husband isn’t some terrible monster to make adultery more palatable, and I really appreciated that. This is just a story, about people who feel real, with motivations that feel genuine. There really is no “plot”, rather this is just a glimpse into a short period of time where a woman contemplates her life, her marriage, and her role as a mother. I don’t think this is going to be for everyone, particularly not those who need something to *happen* in a story, nor for those who will feel frustrated at first-world problems and an upper middle class housewife’s ennui. For me though, this rang so very true and so many of Mizuki’s thoughts and regrets really resonated with me. And her biting wit had me smiling to myself as I read. This may be the most highlighted book currently on my kindle; there were so many gems.
Mizuki has a side gig where she teaches Japanese, both the language and the culture, to expats. This whole book felt a bit like I was being given an insider’s glimpse into a culture so foreign to my own via her story, and Itami does a wonderful job blending these types of details into her story in an accessible and seamless way for Western readers. There were also some laugh out loud moments including a brash American’s faux pas at a dinner party while the guests try not to make their horror apparent. I’d be very curious to hear how those living in Japan and specifically Tokyo feel about these portions of the book.
This is a wonderful debut, and the blurb gets it perfectly right here. If you’ve ever wondered how exactly you ended up where you did in life, or realized your teenage self would never have imagined this for you, I think this book will really hit home.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for an advanced copy of this title for review. It was my pleasure.
This is a beautiful character study and one that isn’t afraid to present a flawed person making some bad, but very realistic decisions. It isn’t black and white, the husband isn’t some terrible monster to make adultery more palatable, and I really appreciated that. This is just a story, about people who feel real, with motivations that feel genuine. There really is no “plot”, rather this is just a glimpse into a short period of time where a woman contemplates her life, her marriage, and her role as a mother. I don’t think this is going to be for everyone, particularly not those who need something to *happen* in a story, nor for those who will feel frustrated at first-world problems and an upper middle class housewife’s ennui. For me though, this rang so very true and so many of Mizuki’s thoughts and regrets really resonated with me. And her biting wit had me smiling to myself as I read. This may be the most highlighted book currently on my kindle; there were so many gems.
Mizuki has a side gig where she teaches Japanese, both the language and the culture, to expats. This whole book felt a bit like I was being given an insider’s glimpse into a culture so foreign to my own via her story, and Itami does a wonderful job blending these types of details into her story in an accessible and seamless way for Western readers. There were also some laugh out loud moments including a brash American’s faux pas at a dinner party while the guests try not to make their horror apparent. I’d be very curious to hear how those living in Japan and specifically Tokyo feel about these portions of the book.
This is a wonderful debut, and the blurb gets it perfectly right here. If you’ve ever wondered how exactly you ended up where you did in life, or realized your teenage self would never have imagined this for you, I think this book will really hit home.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow and Custom House for an advanced copy of this title for review. It was my pleasure.
December 23, 2021
Once in a while you try something new, sometimes it doesn't pay off but sometimes it does, i loved this beautifully written novel by Emily Itami, i cannot believe this is a debut novel, it was atmospheric, to the point i was actually in Tokyo.
Mizuki is a Japanese woman who has everything two beautiful children a husband but why is she so unhappy? her husband treats her abhorrently she is his slave , her demons she decides to deal with & make everyone happy. She decides to move forward & goes into Tokyo where she meets the handsome good looking restaurateur Kyoshi who makes her feel alive again treats her like a person not a doormat who can be trampled on, he makes her stronger, but Mizuki still loves her husband & her to adorable children, will she get the happiness that she deserves?
This was a beautiful written book i could not put down, atmospheric, funny at times & had honesty throughout i am not really a romance reader but just loved this it was the old fashioned romance , not the jump into bed kind which i hate if you want to read out of your comfort zone this is the book for you.
Mizuki is a Japanese woman who has everything two beautiful children a husband but why is she so unhappy? her husband treats her abhorrently she is his slave , her demons she decides to deal with & make everyone happy. She decides to move forward & goes into Tokyo where she meets the handsome good looking restaurateur Kyoshi who makes her feel alive again treats her like a person not a doormat who can be trampled on, he makes her stronger, but Mizuki still loves her husband & her to adorable children, will she get the happiness that she deserves?
This was a beautiful written book i could not put down, atmospheric, funny at times & had honesty throughout i am not really a romance reader but just loved this it was the old fashioned romance , not the jump into bed kind which i hate if you want to read out of your comfort zone this is the book for you.
November 5, 2022
I fell in love with this book from the very first page. I first gave it the eye, like a potential suitor, when I noticed its gorgeous cover, but what’s inside is even better than the cover promises. It’s stunning to me that a writer as bold and beautiful as Emily Itami is, here with Fault Lines, only on her very first novel. The potential!
This is the best book I’ve read in many months, the kind you really want to savor, because the narrator’s voice is such beauty and perfection. And by perfection here I mean imperfection. Mizuki, our protagonist, is a former singer stuck in a boring marriage to a Japanese salaryman, with the daily job of raising her children (or, as she puts it hilariously, “being in a state of indentured servitude to two small psychopaths.”) She looks out the window at the high rises around her, yearning for more. One day she finds it in a man who is not her husband.
I absolutely loved being inside Mizuki’s head and following her through her daily life in Tokyo. Her biting wit, boldness, and sense of humor immediately smash any stereotypes the reader might have about a Japanese housewife. I adored following Mizuki as she searched for something outside her boring day job as a wife and mom, spent with (to paraphrase), her husband — aka her one and only co-worker she must work for and with for life. Did she choose well? What might handsome stranger Kiyoshi have to offer her outside this world? She loves the way he was “the first person in years who thought about the answers to the questions I asked him and looked right at me when he replied.” Because in her marriage, she already has a protagonist in her life…and it’s not her, but her husband. (So many little sparkling gems of quotes scattered throughout this book!)
If you haven’t guessed, this book is quirky and irreverent with what might at first seem to be somewhat of a dim view of commitment, but it’s really much more layered and interesting than that. To me, this is the best kind of book that takes you to a world totally different from your own and provides a totally immersive experience. I saw another review or two that said they found the character of Mizuki unlikeable. Me? I loved her, her sense of humor, and her keen observations from the start.
In conclusion, READ!! this book. It’s so lovely, biting, quirky, and deep. I hope Emily Itami has more for me to read soon. She’s a wonderful and exciting new talent.
So many thanks to William Morris and Custom House, NetGalley, and the author for this treat of an ARC. It has been awhile since I’ve been this excited about a book, and I think it will be one I reread with some frequency.
This is the best book I’ve read in many months, the kind you really want to savor, because the narrator’s voice is such beauty and perfection. And by perfection here I mean imperfection. Mizuki, our protagonist, is a former singer stuck in a boring marriage to a Japanese salaryman, with the daily job of raising her children (or, as she puts it hilariously, “being in a state of indentured servitude to two small psychopaths.”) She looks out the window at the high rises around her, yearning for more. One day she finds it in a man who is not her husband.
I absolutely loved being inside Mizuki’s head and following her through her daily life in Tokyo. Her biting wit, boldness, and sense of humor immediately smash any stereotypes the reader might have about a Japanese housewife. I adored following Mizuki as she searched for something outside her boring day job as a wife and mom, spent with (to paraphrase), her husband — aka her one and only co-worker she must work for and with for life. Did she choose well? What might handsome stranger Kiyoshi have to offer her outside this world? She loves the way he was “the first person in years who thought about the answers to the questions I asked him and looked right at me when he replied.” Because in her marriage, she already has a protagonist in her life…and it’s not her, but her husband. (So many little sparkling gems of quotes scattered throughout this book!)
If you haven’t guessed, this book is quirky and irreverent with what might at first seem to be somewhat of a dim view of commitment, but it’s really much more layered and interesting than that. To me, this is the best kind of book that takes you to a world totally different from your own and provides a totally immersive experience. I saw another review or two that said they found the character of Mizuki unlikeable. Me? I loved her, her sense of humor, and her keen observations from the start.
In conclusion, READ!! this book. It’s so lovely, biting, quirky, and deep. I hope Emily Itami has more for me to read soon. She’s a wonderful and exciting new talent.
So many thanks to William Morris and Custom House, NetGalley, and the author for this treat of an ARC. It has been awhile since I’ve been this excited about a book, and I think it will be one I reread with some frequency.
January 16, 2022
It is not often that I come across a book that moved me as much as Fault Lines by Emily Itami did. This is a book about motherhood and marriage. It examined the expected roles one visioned for a mother and a wife in Japan. Fault Lines explored the complacency that a long term marriage sometimes underwent after many years of being together. This complacency, for Mizuki, resulted in the absence of romance, intimacy and respect from her husband. Mizuki, wife and mother, was feeling and experiencing all that and more. She saw her role as her children’s mother as mundane yet also full of joy and unconditional love for her precious children. Mizuki felt frustrated very often with the everyday routines of housekeeping, meal planning, laundry and escorting her children back and forth from their scheduled activities. Yet the enormous love Mizuki felt for her two children kept her performing these tasks. Gratification could come in the form of a hug, cuddle or smile from one of her children. All these demands, though, left little room for Mizuki to pursue her own dreams or desires until one chance encounter awakened a part of Mizuki that she though she had lost forever. Mizuki would be forced to make decisions that would end up causing her both happiness and pain.
Fault lines was Emily Itami’s debut novel and it was so beautifully written. The characters were honest, believable and likable. It gave an insight into Japanese culture and described Tokyo in a way that made me feel as if I were really there. It was moving in a way that made me sorry when it ended. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Lydia Wilson. I enjoyed listening to her read this outstanding novel. I look forward to seeing what Emily Itami writes next. This is a book that I highly recommend.
Fault lines was Emily Itami’s debut novel and it was so beautifully written. The characters were honest, believable and likable. It gave an insight into Japanese culture and described Tokyo in a way that made me feel as if I were really there. It was moving in a way that made me sorry when it ended. I listened to the audiobook that was narrated by Lydia Wilson. I enjoyed listening to her read this outstanding novel. I look forward to seeing what Emily Itami writes next. This is a book that I highly recommend.
January 1, 2022
This is a great debut!
A contemporary work of fiction that feels so real, so human.
The writing is superb and heartfelt.
You can truly feel the sincerity in the author’s voice. There is so much heart in this work.
The storyline is sad, touching topics of broken relationships, loneliness, unfulfilled dreams…
But it seems that the main problem is around lack of communication.
Why are we so afraid of speaking how we truly feel?
As for myself, I just hate confrontations.
A contemporary work of fiction that feels so real, so human.
The writing is superb and heartfelt.
You can truly feel the sincerity in the author’s voice. There is so much heart in this work.
The storyline is sad, touching topics of broken relationships, loneliness, unfulfilled dreams…
But it seems that the main problem is around lack of communication.
Why are we so afraid of speaking how we truly feel?
As for myself, I just hate confrontations.
September 6, 2021
4 fantastic debut novel stars
I loved this one, set primarily in Japan. I don’t often read books with Japanese characters, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It is well written, and the author has created a relatable flawed character that I enjoyed getting to know. Reading about all the food made me crave Japanese food and the different parts of Tokyo came alive in this book.
We meet Mizuki and learn about her life as a mother and wife, and I especially enjoyed reading about her time spent in the U.S. and how that affected her. It really felt like we got an insider’s view into the Japanese psyche. They have some cultural differences compared to the US but many similarities too. Women around the world wonder if they are enough for their husbands and children. Wonder why their husbands stop seeing them.
I also found it fascinating that Mizuki had a job helping Westerners understand Japanese culture – for example, why when you get on an elevator you shouldn’t go to the far back – and what Japanese really mean when they say things. I think if I had to spend time in that country, I would need someone like this helping me!
I was pondering this title and to me it feels like it represents the fault lines in our life and how things can change along those points. For this character, it was her time in the US and then deciding to return to Japan, thinking about a new relationship, her singing career, all of those things can change the course of her life. It also can reference fault lines in one relationship, like the one with her husband.
This was an amazing debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Thank you to Book Club Girl Early Read and William Morrow/Custom House for the early copy of this one.
I loved this one, set primarily in Japan. I don’t often read books with Japanese characters, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It is well written, and the author has created a relatable flawed character that I enjoyed getting to know. Reading about all the food made me crave Japanese food and the different parts of Tokyo came alive in this book.
We meet Mizuki and learn about her life as a mother and wife, and I especially enjoyed reading about her time spent in the U.S. and how that affected her. It really felt like we got an insider’s view into the Japanese psyche. They have some cultural differences compared to the US but many similarities too. Women around the world wonder if they are enough for their husbands and children. Wonder why their husbands stop seeing them.
I also found it fascinating that Mizuki had a job helping Westerners understand Japanese culture – for example, why when you get on an elevator you shouldn’t go to the far back – and what Japanese really mean when they say things. I think if I had to spend time in that country, I would need someone like this helping me!
I was pondering this title and to me it feels like it represents the fault lines in our life and how things can change along those points. For this character, it was her time in the US and then deciding to return to Japan, thinking about a new relationship, her singing career, all of those things can change the course of her life. It also can reference fault lines in one relationship, like the one with her husband.
This was an amazing debut and I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Thank you to Book Club Girl Early Read and William Morrow/Custom House for the early copy of this one.
April 21, 2022
I read this book due to its shortlisting for the 2021 Costa First Novel Prize (where it was up against the winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize for Debut Fiction) and one of the judges kindly recommended it to me. Interestingly it has itself now been longlisted for the 2022 Desmond Elliott Prize.
The author herself grew up in Tokyo, before moving to London and has worked as a journalist and travel writer.
Her first person protagonist Mizuki is a Tokyo housewife, mother to two children (a ten year old daughter and a four year old boy) and married to a Japanese salaryman Tatsuya. Growing up in a traditional family in remote province of Japan, her sweetmaker and sweetshop owner father helped her as a teenager to win an opportunity for an exchange visit abroad. Her resulting trip to New York widened her horizons and completely changed her perspective on life and as soon as she could she left school and travelled to New York to try and make a living as a singer, before, missing her parents, moving back to Japan, to try the same in Tokyo – before bring attracted to and marrying Tatsuya.
She still loves her children but has found her marriage has grown stale simply from work-focused neglect from Tatsuya – something which drives her to despair – the novel opening with her contemplating jumping from the balcony on her flat in the face of complete disinterest from Tatusya and with the nagging background of her failed dreams of singing stardom.
And, in what she openly acknowledges to be something of a clichéd storyline, she meets another man who seems to give her the attention she lacks – Kyoshi an attractive restauranter – and she has to deal with the inevitable choice between the mundanity but also solidity of the life she has (and of course the future of her children) and an exciting but uncertain prospect of an alternative.
Mizuki is an excellent narrator – sparky, humourous and irreverent – and her voice is one of the book’s highlights.
Cleverly the book sets her up as working part time as an Intercultural Consultant – helping English speaking Westerners posted to Japan to adapt to Japanese culture. And of course although now a long term insider she approaches Tokyo with two outsider perspectives – having lived for many years both in rural Japan and America. As a result of these factors her detailed description and dissection of Tokyo life as lived by a local – which is the second highlight of the book - comes across as natural rather than artificial.
And these two highlights give a new twist to the rather mundane of the dynamics at the heart of the plot.
Ultimately though I felt the book slightly lost its way, or perhaps more accurately, failed to find an original enough ending to counter its deliberately clichéd plot; and this despite a clever attempt (subtly signposted by the title) to link the weakness which runs through Mizuki’s life and the resulting shock it suffers to the seismicity of its location.
Overall while not entirely to my taste it definitely fits the fundamental “enjoyable” criteria of the Costa as well as being a very accomplished debut
The author herself grew up in Tokyo, before moving to London and has worked as a journalist and travel writer.
Her first person protagonist Mizuki is a Tokyo housewife, mother to two children (a ten year old daughter and a four year old boy) and married to a Japanese salaryman Tatsuya. Growing up in a traditional family in remote province of Japan, her sweetmaker and sweetshop owner father helped her as a teenager to win an opportunity for an exchange visit abroad. Her resulting trip to New York widened her horizons and completely changed her perspective on life and as soon as she could she left school and travelled to New York to try and make a living as a singer, before, missing her parents, moving back to Japan, to try the same in Tokyo – before bring attracted to and marrying Tatsuya.
She still loves her children but has found her marriage has grown stale simply from work-focused neglect from Tatsuya – something which drives her to despair – the novel opening with her contemplating jumping from the balcony on her flat in the face of complete disinterest from Tatusya and with the nagging background of her failed dreams of singing stardom.
And, in what she openly acknowledges to be something of a clichéd storyline, she meets another man who seems to give her the attention she lacks – Kyoshi an attractive restauranter – and she has to deal with the inevitable choice between the mundanity but also solidity of the life she has (and of course the future of her children) and an exciting but uncertain prospect of an alternative.
Mizuki is an excellent narrator – sparky, humourous and irreverent – and her voice is one of the book’s highlights.
Cleverly the book sets her up as working part time as an Intercultural Consultant – helping English speaking Westerners posted to Japan to adapt to Japanese culture. And of course although now a long term insider she approaches Tokyo with two outsider perspectives – having lived for many years both in rural Japan and America. As a result of these factors her detailed description and dissection of Tokyo life as lived by a local – which is the second highlight of the book - comes across as natural rather than artificial.
And these two highlights give a new twist to the rather mundane of the dynamics at the heart of the plot.
Ultimately though I felt the book slightly lost its way, or perhaps more accurately, failed to find an original enough ending to counter its deliberately clichéd plot; and this despite a clever attempt (subtly signposted by the title) to link the weakness which runs through Mizuki’s life and the resulting shock it suffers to the seismicity of its location.
Overall while not entirely to my taste it definitely fits the fundamental “enjoyable” criteria of the Costa as well as being a very accomplished debut
April 29, 2022
Mizuki , the protagonist of Fault Lines, is a mother and homemaker with a 'less than blissful' life. While she is not lacking in material comforts, her joyful spirit and spontaneity have taken a backseat to the demands of daily life. She goes about her days catering to the needs of her two children feeling ignored by her workaholic husband and reflects on her life choices with wry humor and candid pragmatism. Even though she spends a few hours a week as an Intercultural Consultant teaching foreigners about the culture and customs of Japan so that they find it easier to assimilate, her existance is predominantly defined as wife and mother.
On a rare night out with friends ,she meets Kiyoshi in whose company no longer feels 'excluded'. The time they spend togethor revives her parched soul and joyful spirit . No pretentions and no subterfuge. She is honest with him and he with her. Her take on her husband's indifference also changes.
"After all the years I've spent with him not seeing me , I don't see him any more either. We exist like two blind fish, sliding past each other cordially in our parallel universe, it's a great solution."
While Mizuki enjoys Kiyoshi's company and attention she is practical enough to understand how her decisions affect everyone around her. She knows what she is doing and she knows what it is she has to do. It comes down to making choices and managing expectations - what we expect from life and what others expect from us.
"What are we, apart from the stories we tell ourselves and other people?"
With its thoughtfully penned characters , wry humor, eloquently introspective tones and vivid almost peotic imagery of Tokyo (I have to mention that the cover art is stunning!),Emily Itami's Fault Lines does not disappoint. Mizuki's witty , introspective take on her life is what makes this novel so wonderfully engaging. In Mizuki , Emily Itami has drawn an intelligent woman who allows you to laugh with her and laugh at her all the while admiring her spirit . You don't have to feel sorry for her because you know that she will be okay. With such a lovely debut I am eagerly looking forward to reading more of Emily Itami's books in the future.
I received an ARC of this novel from HarperCollins under no obligation. The review reflects my honest and unbiased opinion.
On a rare night out with friends ,she meets Kiyoshi in whose company no longer feels 'excluded'. The time they spend togethor revives her parched soul and joyful spirit . No pretentions and no subterfuge. She is honest with him and he with her. Her take on her husband's indifference also changes.
"After all the years I've spent with him not seeing me , I don't see him any more either. We exist like two blind fish, sliding past each other cordially in our parallel universe, it's a great solution."
While Mizuki enjoys Kiyoshi's company and attention she is practical enough to understand how her decisions affect everyone around her. She knows what she is doing and she knows what it is she has to do. It comes down to making choices and managing expectations - what we expect from life and what others expect from us.
"What are we, apart from the stories we tell ourselves and other people?"
With its thoughtfully penned characters , wry humor, eloquently introspective tones and vivid almost peotic imagery of Tokyo (I have to mention that the cover art is stunning!),Emily Itami's Fault Lines does not disappoint. Mizuki's witty , introspective take on her life is what makes this novel so wonderfully engaging. In Mizuki , Emily Itami has drawn an intelligent woman who allows you to laugh with her and laugh at her all the while admiring her spirit . You don't have to feel sorry for her because you know that she will be okay. With such a lovely debut I am eagerly looking forward to reading more of Emily Itami's books in the future.
I received an ARC of this novel from HarperCollins under no obligation. The review reflects my honest and unbiased opinion.
October 24, 2021
Fault Lines is a character study of a Japanese mother and housewife who feels invisible to and disconnected from her husband. The title of the book is perfect as it has multiple meanings. Mizuki is flawed and at times immature, and yet she is very relatable. Her thoughts are witty and at times had me laughing out loud. Kiyoshi was genuine and easy to like, and the gradual progression of their relationship felt authentic.
Emily Itami took me on a journey through Tokyo and I loved it. Her writing is beautiful and vivid. I lived in Japan for a few years when I was young and she did a great job bringing to light the complexities of Japanese culture.
I don’t know what I was expecting from the ending, but it felt a little rushed and left me feeling a little dissatisfied. Regardless, this is a very impressive debut and I look forward to reading more of her work. 4 stars.
Emily Itami took me on a journey through Tokyo and I loved it. Her writing is beautiful and vivid. I lived in Japan for a few years when I was young and she did a great job bringing to light the complexities of Japanese culture.
I don’t know what I was expecting from the ending, but it felt a little rushed and left me feeling a little dissatisfied. Regardless, this is a very impressive debut and I look forward to reading more of her work. 4 stars.
January 3, 2022
I feel like Itami hit the sweet spot here between sharp, witty chick-lit, and the occasional surfacing of something darker and more real from underneath. It peers outward from this deeper place few too times for me, personally, but her craft is exquisite. She does a lot with a little here, and I’m a fan of this. But something didn’t compel me to gobble up all 215 pages in this novella, and I was more engrossed in other reads. Yet, I did keep on with Fault Lines, and this never felt like a chore. When I was in a particular mood, this hit the spot. If you’re someone who generally gravitates towards this kind of read, you’re in for a treat. 3.5
May 30, 2022
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3 ½ stars
Fault Lines by Emily Itami is a fun and short read. Itami's dry humor brought to mind Naoise Dolan's Exciting Times, but, thankfully for me at least, Fault Lines proved to be a much more engaging story.
Our narrator is Mizuki a Japanese housewife who is becoming increasingly tired by the monotony of her daily life. Her husband is a workaholic who pays her little to notice, and her looking after her children is no easy feat. Similarly to Yūko Tsushima's Territory of Light, Fault Lines examines the pressure Japanese society puts on women to be perfect wives and mothers.
Mizuki often feels inadequate, especially when comparing herself to other housewives. Yet, she doesn't really want her life to be wholly devoted to her husband and children. She blames some of her attitude on her time in America, where she went first as a student and then to pursue a career as a singer. The more overlooked she feels by her husband the more Mizuki longs for the freedom she enjoyed prior to her marriage.
On a night out with her friends, quite by chance, she meets Kiyoshi. Mizuki feels once again seen and worthy of attention. Kiyoshi and her begin to spend more and more time together, and as they get to know each other their attraction grows.
Mizuki is a very witty narrator and the novel's biggest strength. Her voice is amusing and her deadpan humor and asides make her story all the more compelling. I did find her at times to be incongruously Britsh. She uses terms like 'knob', 'wanker', and 'fag' (as opposed to cigarette), and it seemed a bit of an odd choice (I understand that the novel is written in English but it still broke the story's spell).
I really liked the novel's sense of place and Mizuki's insights into Tokyo and Japanese society.
The 'will they/won't they' affair turned out to be a bit disappointing. There is quite a build-up to Kiyoshi and Mizuki's relationship with him, but when we do eventually meet him...I don't know. He never really grabbed me and I wish his character had been a bit more fleshed out. He functions as a bit of a plot device, someone that makes Mizuki re-assess her married life. The children were incredibly annoying so much so that they dampened my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, Fault Lines proved to be a surprisingly funny and refreshing read and I look forward to whatever Itami will write next.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 ½ stars
“Is it normal to fluctuate so quickly between feeling tender towards your husband and fervently wishing him a violent death?”
Fault Lines by Emily Itami is a fun and short read. Itami's dry humor brought to mind Naoise Dolan's Exciting Times, but, thankfully for me at least, Fault Lines proved to be a much more engaging story.
Our narrator is Mizuki a Japanese housewife who is becoming increasingly tired by the monotony of her daily life. Her husband is a workaholic who pays her little to notice, and her looking after her children is no easy feat. Similarly to Yūko Tsushima's Territory of Light, Fault Lines examines the pressure Japanese society puts on women to be perfect wives and mothers.
Mizuki often feels inadequate, especially when comparing herself to other housewives. Yet, she doesn't really want her life to be wholly devoted to her husband and children. She blames some of her attitude on her time in America, where she went first as a student and then to pursue a career as a singer. The more overlooked she feels by her husband the more Mizuki longs for the freedom she enjoyed prior to her marriage.
On a night out with her friends, quite by chance, she meets Kiyoshi. Mizuki feels once again seen and worthy of attention. Kiyoshi and her begin to spend more and more time together, and as they get to know each other their attraction grows.
Mizuki is a very witty narrator and the novel's biggest strength. Her voice is amusing and her deadpan humor and asides make her story all the more compelling. I did find her at times to be incongruously Britsh. She uses terms like 'knob', 'wanker', and 'fag' (as opposed to cigarette), and it seemed a bit of an odd choice (I understand that the novel is written in English but it still broke the story's spell).
I really liked the novel's sense of place and Mizuki's insights into Tokyo and Japanese society.
The 'will they/won't they' affair turned out to be a bit disappointing. There is quite a build-up to Kiyoshi and Mizuki's relationship with him, but when we do eventually meet him...I don't know. He never really grabbed me and I wish his character had been a bit more fleshed out. He functions as a bit of a plot device, someone that makes Mizuki re-assess her married life. The children were incredibly annoying so much so that they dampened my enjoyment of the story.
Overall, Fault Lines proved to be a surprisingly funny and refreshing read and I look forward to whatever Itami will write next.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2022
This is the story of a Japanese woman caught in the crossroads of life. She feels unseen and unheard by her husband. She spends her days being a mother and sometimes teaching Japanese to foreigners.
Her husband and her have fallen into the marriage trap, following the rules, taking care of the children, but continually ignoring each others emotional and physical needs.
She meets a man, spending time with him as a friend. When the lines of friendship and love begin to blur, she has to reassess what path she wants to take.
Fault Lines, is beautifully written, soft around its witty edges, with a wonderful emphasize on the choices we make and how they impact our lives.
The story takes many interesting turns and twists. The protagonist makes choices that are not clearly obvious. This makes the story all the more enjoyable.
5/5 stars
Her husband and her have fallen into the marriage trap, following the rules, taking care of the children, but continually ignoring each others emotional and physical needs.
She meets a man, spending time with him as a friend. When the lines of friendship and love begin to blur, she has to reassess what path she wants to take.
Fault Lines, is beautifully written, soft around its witty edges, with a wonderful emphasize on the choices we make and how they impact our lives.
The story takes many interesting turns and twists. The protagonist makes choices that are not clearly obvious. This makes the story all the more enjoyable.
5/5 stars
October 29, 2021
Holy balls this is the best book of 2021 for me at this point. I do have to say that if I weren’t a mother I might have a harder time with the ending (emotionally speaking), but I haven’t read anything that has spoken to me like this since my son was born. I cried during the dénouement and countless other times during the scenes with her children. Incredible writing, pitch perfect sense of humor, totally engrossing slice of life story. I owe my sanity (whatever of it I have left during these sleepless nights) entirely to Emily Itami.
October 25, 2021
“I wonder what will still matter when I’m as old as she is. I wonder who she loved, and what she hid, and when it stopped hurting her to remember, even while she was pretending to have forgotten.”
I love this kind of books, short, introspective, focused on the analysis of a certain society or category of people. I also love books about women, especially if I can find some similarities with them and I can somehow identify with them. I don't love books about cheating, especially the ones which try, more or less explicitly, to justify it with concepts like "their partners don't even look at them anymore", "after so many years of marriage/kids together things have become trite and they've lost that sparkle" or - my favourite - "their relationship with their significant other has improved thanks to the affair", which all sound like bullsh*t to me and which are all in some measure present in this book.
But If for a second I stop judging the main character and her choices, and just listen to her thoughts and her story, I can almost feel for her. I don't think the author's intent was for us to like her or to agree with her, but just to listen to her story - one which has nothing particularly extraordinary, but it's just the ordinary life of an ordinary woman dealing with ordinary problems, maybe wishing for it all to be a little less ordinary. After all, who decides which stories are worth being told and which ones aren't? I am interested in all humans.
I love this kind of books, short, introspective, focused on the analysis of a certain society or category of people. I also love books about women, especially if I can find some similarities with them and I can somehow identify with them. I don't love books about cheating, especially the ones which try, more or less explicitly, to justify it with concepts like "their partners don't even look at them anymore", "after so many years of marriage/kids together things have become trite and they've lost that sparkle" or - my favourite - "their relationship with their significant other has improved thanks to the affair", which all sound like bullsh*t to me and which are all in some measure present in this book.
But If for a second I stop judging the main character and her choices, and just listen to her thoughts and her story, I can almost feel for her. I don't think the author's intent was for us to like her or to agree with her, but just to listen to her story - one which has nothing particularly extraordinary, but it's just the ordinary life of an ordinary woman dealing with ordinary problems, maybe wishing for it all to be a little less ordinary. After all, who decides which stories are worth being told and which ones aren't? I am interested in all humans.
October 8, 2021
3.5 stars
While this book didn't always work for me plot-wise, there were some things I really liked about it. I especially enjoyed learning a bit about Japanese culture. There's such an incongruous juxtaposition of ancient Japanese customs and the ultra-modern reality of Tokyo. For example, when you step into an elevator, you're supposed to let the "most important" person stand at the back of the elevator. This is so that if a samurai comes to attack, the most important person will be protected by all the less important people standing in front of him. Elevator samurais! Who knew?
When you read about what is expected of Japanese people in public places, it goes a long way toward understanding why they tend to be so much better behaved and compliant than rowdy, ill-mannered Americans. Imagine a public park where almost all forms of entertainment are banned. No ball games, no musical instruments, no wheeled objects, no booze. And there are white-gloved guards at the entrance to enforce the rules.
I really liked the parts where Mizuki was describing her poor upbringing in a place Tokyoites think of as sort of a Japanese version of redneck. She slept on the floor all her life until she went to America as an exchange student. I also enjoyed the time she spent with Kiyoshi, enjoying all the sights and tastes and sounds Tokyo has to offer.
What I didn't care for much were the domestic portions of the novel, which was a bit problematic because that's sort of the whole point of the plot. I just didn't enjoy reading about the time Mizuki spent at home with her husband Tatsu, who is present physically but absent mentally and emotionally. And the time she spent with her kids was, sorry to say, not all that interesting to me either. But this is not surprising, as I have a tendency to be bored by a lot of domestic fiction.
I thought the resolution came about a little too easily, like maybe there was a hurry to finish up the story. Still, there is some impressively perceptive writing about relationships and some beautiful (and painful) insights about life in general.
There was one passage in particular that made me cry, because it expressed exactly how I have felt since my mom died. Kiyoshi is telling Mizuki what it was like for him when his mother died:
"Sometimes it felt like the part of me that my mother knew disappeared when she did. Because there wasn't anyone else who saw it, it just faded away." It's hard to remember who you are without people who know you that way.
If you can get your brain to adjust to the fact that the author can't decide on a verb tense and stick with it, I think this is well worth a read.
April 29, 2023
4.5 stars
It’s not often that I make the decision to buy a book based on it’s cover, but in the case of Emily Itami’s debut novel Fault Lines , the cover art – a dark blue image of Tokyo’s skyscape at night, overlaid by beautiful pink cherry blossoms -- was so gorgeous that I couldn’t resist having it on my bookshelf so I could pull it out and look at it whenever I wanted. I did end up checking out the plot summary after I bought the book and while it’s one I was definitely interested in reading, I couldn’t didn’t jump in right away due to the LONG list of books I already had lined up that I needed to get to. So of course, when one of my book clubs chose this book for their April selection, I was more than delighted to be given the excuse to finally get around to reading it (though not without some reservations about whether I would feel the same about the story as I did about the cover). Now after having finished, I am happy to report that I really enjoyed the story, which I found to be by turns both delightful and thought- provoking.
At the center of the story is Mizuki, a Japanese housewife and mother of two young children (a 10-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son) who, after more than a decade of marriage, has fallen into a resigned complacency of sorts where her days are spent washing the dishes, folding the laundry, taking care of the kids, and being invisible to her extremely hardworking husband who oftentimes can’t even be bothered to look at her when he’s at home because he is too busy taking care of work matters on his phone. One day, standing on the balcony of the glamorous high-rise apartment in Tokyo where she lives with her family, Mizuki has the sudden urge to throw herself over the railing. She doesn’t succeed in killing herself of course (not a spoiler), but the incident makes her realize just how mundane and depressing her life has become. She loves her children deeply, but also yearns for the emotional connection that she used to have with her husband, Tatsuya, back early in their courtship and marriage, when she used to feel seen and appreciated as a partner. So it is that when she meets Kiyoshi, a charismatic and hugely successful restauranteur, she is drawn to his easy-going nature and they become good friends. When she’s with Kiyoshi, Mizuki is reminded of the person she used to be – funny, charming, and perfectly happy roaming around the city she loves, admiring the sights and sounds, eating good food, and having meaningful conversation with someone who understands her and genuinely cares about her. But as their relationship deepens, Mizuki finds it more and more difficult to reconcile her devotion to her family and the obligations of motherhood with the happy, carefree existence she has with Kiyoshi.
The entire story is told from Mizuki’s first person of view, which I felt worked really well in this instance, as it made her struggles more real and heartfelt. But I think what helped the most was the author Emily Itami’s thoughtful and sensitive, yet entirely realistic portrayal of Mizuki as an ordinary woman struggling with universally relatable issues such as marriage, motherhood, family expectations, societal norms, etc. Itami presents Mizuki in a way that is sincere and honest, helping us understand the character completely through the good moments as well as the bad ones so we can make sense of why Mizuki makes the decisions she does – the effect of this, for me, was that even though I didn’t agree with some of those decisions, I couldn’t help empathizing with Mizuki and rooting for her along the way.
Another aspect I really appreciated about the story was how emotionally resonant it ended up being. I’m not married and I don’t have children, yet I was still able to relate to Mizuki’s struggle with understanding and reconciling her life choices with the reality of how her life turned out. I resonated especially with Mizuki’s conflicting feelings toward her identity and culture — more specifically, feeling bound by the constraints of cultural and societal expectations in her various roles as wife, mother, daughter, friend, etc., yet when the opportunity to be free of these bounds arises, feeling hesitant to take the first step out of fear of what the change might bring. The beauty of this story is in its nuanced commentary on life and what it means to be a woman in contemporary Asian society.
One thing to note with this story is that, plot-wise, nothing much actually happens — instead, through Mizuki’s experiences, we are treated to atmospheric and mesmerizing observations of a city that we get to know intimately by the end of the book. I’ve always wanted to visit Tokyo (it’s one of my bucket list destinations) and after reading this book, that desire has grown even stronger. Perhaps someday that will become a reality— in the meantime, I don’t mind revisiting through the various descriptions in this book.
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