The Woman Dies

“A wickedly entertaining collection, bold and confident, full of smart insights that fully reflect women's lives. Aoko Matsuda has a fantastic handle on her form - these stories are short, dazzling, intense, provoking admiration and awe, very fresh and contemporary. Each one snaps and sparkles with humour and cunning.” * Bidisha Mamata, author of Asylum & Exile *
“Provocative and timely... In an acutely poised translation by Polly Barton... the prevalent sexist culture of contemporary Japan is skewered, riffed on and finally lanced with perfect timing and ingenuity.” * Irish Times *
“Matsuda shines with her distinctive imagery and focused commentary. Readers will find plenty to enjoy.” * Publishers Weekly *
“Aoko Matsuda uses her signature sharp wit and surreal, abstract worldbuilding to draw attention to a diverse array of themes in this collection: an author for fans of Emi Yagi and Banana Yoshimoto.” * Buzz Magazine *
“A haunting collection of twisty, turny stories…. Wonderfully surreal and dark.” * BookRiot *
“Award-winning Matsuda reunites with adept translator Barton for another stupendous collection.” * Booklist (starred review) *
“Each of Matsuda’s small but sparkling stories responds to various aspects of pop culture in clever and surprising ways.” * Contemporary Japanese Literature *
“The Woman Dies blends humour, surrealism and sharp social critique….a multifaceted mosaic of ideas by one of Japan’s most exciting writers.” * BookBlast *
"There's a lot to enjoy here, including the usual excellent work from Barton....clever, often thought-provoking stories and vignettes." * Tony's Reading List *
Praise for Where the Wild Ladies Are "Funny, beautiful, surreal and relatable, this is a phenomenal book."—The Guardian "Delightfully uncanny."—New York Times