| Appearances
are deceptive. Mutsuki and Shoko appear to everyone, including
their overbearing parents, to be just a typical Tokyo husband
and wife. But each has a deep, dark secret, and their marriage
of convenience only appears to be the solution each one
needs. Mutsuki is strictly gay and has a boyfriend. Shoko is a
clinical case of emotional instability and drinks too much. At
first this mismatched pair provide support for each other, but
soon they only seem to bring each other down. In Twinkle Twinkle
a modern marriage unravels, and it takes modern thinking to piece
it back together.
One of Twinkle Twinkle's unique charms is its delicate
structure. From chapter to chapter, the point of view alternates
between that of husband and wife, and each acquires tricky layers
as the story unfolds. Published in Japan in 1991,
 Twinkle
Twinkle established Ekuni at the forefront of young women
writers. It sold 500,000 copies, won the Lady Murasaki Literary
Award, and was made into a film. Twinkle Twinkle is Ekuni's
first work to appear in English.
Ekuni
received the high-profile Naoki Award in 2003. |
"Simultaneously
seductive and elusive, Twinkle Twinkle is the urbane
literary equivalent of well-made sushi: in bright bites of cool,
gem-like prose, Ekuni serves up an array of subtly nuanced emotion."
–Lambda Lit Review
“Sparkles with humor and wit…Ekuni deftly weaves a
range of characters.”
--Daily Yomiuri
“Bright and clear…(Twinkle Twinkle) is modern,
charming, and thoroughly enjoyable.”
--The Guardian
“This book is simple. This book is a pearl. This book is
like water, clear and loose and natural and fluid…Most impressively,
Ekuni has made something contemporary, which still manages to
retain its soul. Twinkle Twinkle is totally earnest, and
absolutely surprising.”
--BUST magazine
"Shoko is so tragically flawed that the aggregate effect
of all those tiny cracks and imperfections is a creature of extraordinary
beauty." --Bookslut
“Comical and almost surreal at times. Both translator
and publisher should be commended for this welcome addition.”
--Persimmon magazine
“Unusual
modern romance”
--The Complete Review
“Told in crystal-clear prose” --The
Globe and Mail
“Twinkle Twinkle is an excellent literary
novel.”
--Heartland Reviews
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