Erika Kobayashi

“This is ‘Welcome to New York,’ by Taylor Swift, from her album 1989.” 1989, the year Taylor Swift was born. The year the Showa Emperor died. The year I met Quartz.
Already twenty‑seven years ago.”

Thank you, NetGalley and Astra Publishing House, for the chance to read and review Sunrise by Erika Kobayashi. Sunrise comes out on the 11th of July and is 242 pages long.

Sunrise is a series of interrelated narratives that explores the impact of nuclear power on women across generations. The stories include phenomena such as people growing wings, the burning of last books, radioactive springs, and a degenerative illness that affects the mind initially.

Kobayashi blends magical realism, folklore, and science fiction to create stories that cannot be found elsewhere. Each story bleeds into the other, with stories with a story, a style that I really appreciated.

I understand for the first time that to die is to lose the ability to meet another’s gaze.

Overall, I loved this collection and’ll be checking out more by the author!… (meer)