The 52 hertz whales
de Sonoko Machida
(October 3, 2022)
Winner of the latest Japanese Booksellers Award, this moving novel tells the story of a young woman who is abused by her parents.
Winner of the latest Japan Booksellers Award, this moving novel tells the story of a young woman who is abused by her parents for many years, until finally her friends help her separate from her family, she cuts all ties and moves away. to live in a remote fishing village.
The protagonist, Kiko, in her new life meets a 13-year-old boy, who seems unable to speak and whom his mother calls Mushi (“bug”) and treats him as if he were a burden. Kiko sees in him her own unhappy childhood…
To symbolize the isolation of our two protagonists, Sonoko Machida refers to the song of a whale at a frequency of 52 hertz, too high to be heard by other whales. Fortunately, Kiko is able to communicate with her new friend: they are on the same frequency, like two whales. They strengthen ties, comfort each other, and are able to regain faith in humanity.
Sonoko Machida. She was born in 1980 in Fukuoka (Japan), she began her career in 2016 with the story “Cameroon no aoi sakana” (Blue fish in Cameroon) for which she received the R-18 Prize awarded by the Shinchosha publishing house. Published in April 2020 in Japan, “52 Hertz no kujira tachi” (The 52 Hertz Whales) is her first novel and she has won the Japan Booksellers Prize in 2021.
Source: https://algunoslibrosbuenos.com/las-ballenas-de-52-hercios
