This dark and uniquely weird new collection of short stories by Natsuko Imamura, author of the best-selling, prizewinning novel The Woman In The Purple Skirt, further confirms her influential voice in contemporary Japanese fiction. Asa: The Girl Who Turned Into A Pair Of Chopsticks blends the boundaries of reality to obliquely touch on issues of isolation, mental health and trauma.

In three superficially discordant, fantastical tales, we follow three dissatisfied female protagonists seeking a sense of self fulfilment. In odd settings, they must overcome even odder obstacles to quench their yearning for meaning. Asa wants to nurture, so she happily turns into a tree and later a pair of chopsticks, destined to finally live her dream of having a purpose. Nami can’t seem to get hit by any moving objects thrown her way, so in an attempt to fit in she starts taking matters into her own hands, self-harming and ending up in a psychiatric unit.

Beyond the absurdity of the plots, there is a tangible underlying theme of frustration directed at society’s unfeasible expectations of women. Stippled with symbolism, these thought-provoking stories are undoubtedly odd but wildly entertaining. They explore the mystifying terrain that separates normal from abnormal, challenging the very foundations of how society operates.