Hollow Inside

In this skewed, mordantly funny novel, two women navigate ageing and relationships in divergent ways.

Stuck in a bland, low-paying job, Hirai, 38, agrees to move in with her colleague Suganuma, 42. Both women are single and feel ambivalent at best about the prospect of marriage. Defying social expectations, they create their own soothing domestic routines.

But when Suganuma reveals a secret affair, Hirai anxiously rejoins the world of dating apps. As she drifts through painfully adequate dates and endures intrusive questions at office socials, Hirai frets over whether she really needs to freeze her eggs again. In a dating world sapped of genuine connection, where can she turn to feel less hollow?