Title: Diary of a Void
Author: Emi Yagi
Published: Viking, August 9, 2022
Pages: 220
Genre: Women's Fiction
When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that as the only woman at her new workplace—a manufacturer of cardboard tubes—she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can’t clear away her coworkers’ dirty cups—because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant.
Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. She’s living a year of rest and relaxation, and is finally being treated by her colleagues as more than a hollow core. But she has a ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her “pregnancy,” the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.
Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. She’s living a year of rest and relaxation, and is finally being treated by her colleagues as more than a hollow core. But she has a ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her “pregnancy,” the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.
What did I just read? I still don't know, but I did have a good time. This was so well done. I was still guessing all the way to the end whether or not this woman was really pregnant. Shibata isn't a very likable character, and I really love when a book can still be so enjoyable even though I spent most of the book disliking the narrator.
Her choices throughout the book were so interesting. I still don't know who she told about the pregnancy and who she kept it from. For a little while there I wasn't even sure if SHE knew whether or not she was pregnant. It was so good. It almost got spooky there for a little bit. I don't know if that was the purpose, or just the subject matter for me personally. But man, I am absolutely going to be thinking about this for a while.
Ratings
Stars: 4/5
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