03 June,2026 09:14 AM IST | Mumbai | Nandini Varma
Mieko Kawakami
International Booker Prize shortlisted Japanese author Mieko Kawakami's latest novel Sisters in Yellow (Pan Macmillan/Picador) is a journey into the nightlife of Tokyo from the eyes of the forty-year-old protagonist Hana. We learn about the time she was 15, and in a strained relationship with her mother, until taken in by Kimiko. Together, Kimiko and Hana ran a bar called Lemon, serving a host of colourful customers. Twenty years later, Kimiko is 60, and under arrest. Hana reflects on the time spent with her and two girls, Ran and Momoko.
Kawakami's narrative is peppered with characters who grew up with little money and find themselves in questionable and dangerous situations in their quest to make ends meet. Accompanying characters have fascinating stories too. There's Kotomi, an escort; Yeongsu, a Korean who surreptitiously hands white envelopes to Kimiko; Tommy-cat, a 30-something man who wants to write a book âas a high-school girl'; and Viv, the woman who gives Hana a job after Lemon shuts down, initiating her into the world of underhanded card schemes.
With the author choosing to depict a view of Tokyo that isn't exactly appealing, the running theme of the book, the colour yellow, becomes important. It is touching to see Hana persistently add more yellow things to the yellow corner to bring good luck. The novel could do with more tightness in the plot. It meanders in places, losing its pace, before picking up again. Overall, it is an interesting read that gives us a glimpse of Tokyo's underbelly.
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