‘Instantanés d’Ambre’ by Yoko Ogawa, a Dreamlike, Powerful Novel
In this claustrophobic setting, a mother shuts her three children away to protect them from danger in an ambiance that is sombre but hopeful.

© Ulf Andersen
When Yoko Ogawa arrived in France to promote the release of her novel Instantanés d’Ambre (yet to be translated into in English), she came armed with a suitcase full of green tea. In everyday life as in her novels, Yoko Ogawa leaves nothing to chance.
Sensitivity to sounds
The novel—the story of a quiet mother who protects her children by hiding them away in a villa surrounded by high walls—has an ambiance that’s somewhere between life and death, sombre and yet full of light. The mother asks her children to choose new names (they select Agate, Amber, and Opal), thinking that this will shield them from danger. This rich and subtle world creates a presence that’s sensitive to sounds, murmurs, and also silence. The novelist proves once again that she is a major figure in Japanese literature.
Instantanés d’Ambre (2018), a novel by Yoko Ogawa, is published by Actes Sud (not currently available in English).

© Actes Sud
TRENDING
-
‘The Beauty of Boundaries’, the Japanese Aesthetic of Limits
Ito Teiji's book focuses on ‘kekkai’, the notion of Japanese spatiality that gave rise to the arrangement of homes.
-
Arca and Ryuichi Sakamoto's ‘Sanctuary’, an Unexpected Utopia
The famed Japanese composer is featured in the final moments of experimental Venezuelan producer’s multi-album project, the ‘Kick’ series.
-
'The Spirit of Pleasure', a Glimpse into Eroticism in Japan
From the cult of the samurai to that of geishas and the tightening of conventions, this essay traces the history of hedonism in Japan.
-
From My Kitchen to Yours, Ian Wheatley
In his ramen restaurant Monohon, the chef recreates the authentic taste of these noodles using Japanese wheat flour.
-
A Yakuza Series Set Between London and Tokyo
In 'Giri/Haji', coproduced by the BBC and Netflix, the viewer follows a detective in search of his brother who has sparked a gang war.