I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I've been wanting to become the friend of the Woman in the Purple Skirt for a very long time . . .

The Woman in the Purple Skirt seems to live in a world of her own. She appears to glide through crowded streets without acknowledging any reaction her presence elicits. Each afternoon, she sits on the same park bench, eating a pastry and ignoring the local children who make a game of trying to get her attention.

She may not know it, but the Woman in the Purple Skirt being watched. Someone is following her, always perched just out of sight, monitoring which buses she takes; what she eats; whom she speaks to. But this invisible observer isn't a stalker - no, it's much more complicated than that.
The Woman In The Purple Skirt is quite a short read and is more of a novella than a regular novel. However despite it being a quick read, it does pack a punch.
I found it to be a strange yet compelling story. The narrator’s obsession with The Woman In The Purple Skirt is quite unsettling and it seems to be the only thing we know about her. It raises so many questions as to why the narrator is so obsessed with this woman she has never even spoken to and these questions are never fully resolved.
It’s quite unsettling in places as you would expect from a novel that focuses on obsession and stalking. However there are also some darkly witty moments.
I can honestly say I’ve not read anything quite like it. If you like quirky short fiction, this may be the read for you!

Our narrator refers to herself as ‘the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan’ and she has developed an obsession with her neighbour who she calls ‘the Woman in the Purple Skirt’. She tracks her movements and knows a lot about her routine but little about her as a person.

She goes as far as to get the Woman in the Purple Skirt a job at her workplace so she can get to know her. Ultimately, she decides she wants to befriend her.

But, as can be the case when you project a personality onto someone, the Woman in the Purple Skirt doesn’t quite turn out to be who the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan was hoping for.


I have read a few novels translated from their original Japanese now and I love their shared characteristics of being so lyrical but deeply deadpan in tone.

I can’t be sure if that’s the type of novels I’m drawn to, or the writing style in translation, but I enjoy it. These qualities were present in this book, which is the main reason I kept turning the pages.

While I enjoyed the experience of reading this due to the tone, it didn’t quite resonate enough with me story-wise to make me feel totally engaged and I think I just felt a bit sad for the two lonely women by the end.

Weird, unsettling story about obsession. Even though nothing really happens, I found this short novel extremely fascinating.
Thank you Faber & Faber and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a quirky little book that is compelling in its microscopic storytelling and sinister psychological themes.

The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan is the narrator and we follow her as she becomes more and more obsessed with The Woman in the Purple Skirt. Is she a reliable narrator? What is at the root of her obsession? Will she eventually connect with the object of her obsession?

This is a novel about loneliness and anonymity and how the desire to be significant can lead to a distorted perception of reality. I believe that this book may be saying a lot about our society's obsession with what is on the outward appearance and how we can attract attention particularly on social media. But how the whims of the attention we receive can very quickly turn against us. I enjoyed this thought-provoking book.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t want to spoil anything about this book because I went in knowing very minimal information and I thought that was the best way.

When nothing much seems to happen in a book but still has the ability to keep you gripped and wanting more. When you’re constantly wanting to know what’s going to happen next, and you’re quite literally saying allowed “what’s going to happen”, then that’s a really good book in my eyes and totally worth a read!

The Woman In The Purple Skirt is completely unaware her every move is being watched by the book's narrator, The Woman In The Yellow Cardigan. The Woman In The Yellow Cardigan monitors what buses she catches, which park bench she sits on and what she eats. The Woman In The Purple Skirt is a mysterious figure, who seems to live in a world of her own, oblivious to the world around her. The Woman In The Yellow Cardigan desperately wants to befriend this woman she has never even met. The narrator's obsession with The Woman In The Purple Skirt deepens as she subtly starts to influence and manipulate her life.

I found it to be a strange yet compelling story. The narrator's obsession with The Woman In The Purple Skirt is quite unsettling and it seems to be the only thing we know about her. It raises so many questions as to why the narrator is so obsessed with this woman she has never even spoken to and these questions are never fully resolved.

It's quite unsettling in places as you would expect from a novel that focuses on obsession and stalking. However there are also some darkly witty moments.

I can honestly say I've not read anything quite like it. If you like quirky short fiction, this may be the read for you!

The Woman in the Purple Skirt goes to the park everyday and sits on the same bench in the park, where some children play their games taunting her, She is watched all the time by the narrator, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan unknowingly to the Woman in the Purple Skirt manipulates her to get a job at the place she works as a hotel cleaner. Nobody seems to notice the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan but everyone pays attention to the Woman in the Purple Skirt.

This is a odd short novel. It is easy to read and really compelling, I read it super quick in one evening. It is creepy and unsettling as it is following obsession and stalking, however it is not a thriller so do not expect it to be twisty. After finishing the book I was a bit confused, I still don't really know who the Woman in the Purple Skirt or the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan are, so do not expect answers. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan continually holds out hope that her and the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan will become friends, with her whole life revolving around this woman she has never even exchanged words with which is kind of sad.

This is worth a read if you like Japanese translated literature that is a bit odd, and you are happy with having more questions at the end of the book than at the beginning. A enjoyed this weird and compelling book.

The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a strange, disquieting little book, absorbing you into the role of voyeur and stalker. It’s a story of jealousy, projection and obsession, and reads almost like a fable in the matter of fact telling. The straightforward telling contrasts with the unreliable nature of the teller, and the point of view lends itself to creating a feeling of unease that doesn’t quite leave you at the end. It’s an interesting, concise story that I think will continue lurking in the back of my mind for some time.
ARC gratefully received from Faber and Faber Ltd and Netgalley

The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a taut and compelling depiction of loneliness and obsession. I absolutely loved this story. A plot which is gripping and intriguing. I raced through it. I read it during a busy time and I tried to sneak in a few pages every time I could and I stayed up late at night to finish reading it!
Recommend this story of obsession at its best.

This was an odd story about the Woman in the Purple Skirt. Every day she goes to the park where she has her own bench, and eats a bun; she is watched by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. At first we think the Woman in the Purple Skirt is an oddity, one of those local characters, but we quickly realise she is being stalled by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, and that she is as, if not more odd, and she stated that she would really like to become friends with the Woman in the Purple Skirt. She starts to manipulate events and arranged for the Woman in the Purple Skirt to get a job as a Chamberlain at the hotel where she works. To her surprise, she excels at the job and is quickly promoted, so the ?Woman in the Yellow Cardigan doesn't get to make friend's with her.

It is a short book, and easy to read, becoming more compelling and unsettling as the story moves on even though, for the most part, little happens. I think it is quite typical of a ?Japanese style of story-telling which won't appeal to everyone, but will appeal to those who like that style, and is a good place to start for people who want to try it out. The ending was quite unsatisfactory and left many unanswered questions.

*Many thanks to the published and Netgalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest opinion.*

Oh wow! What just happened?

'The Woman in the Purple Skirt' is narrated by a woman who we know very little about: does she have a family? A job? Any sort of life? Her goal in life is to be friends with a woman who's name she doesn't know, but can always be seen wearing a purple skirt. This woman seems to be something of a minor celebrity due to her ability to walk through crowds and be generally mysterious. However, the more things progress and the more you learn about the two mysterious women of the story, the more questions you end up with.

For such a short book, Imamura really packs a lot into her characters. I always love translations of Akutagawa Prize winning works because you know the novel has to be short but impactful. I would recommend this to anyone looking likes 'unreliable narrator' stories and having their first impressions challenged.

The translation is nicely done as well. I noticed there are a few Japanese words left semi-untranslated (the example I remember is 'puurin') which could easily be substituted with an English word ('pudding') but would loose some of the meaning ( a 'puurin' being a specific type of common dessert). It flowed much more nicely that trying to find a completely English equivalent.

This book has a simple premise; there is a woman who always wears a purple skirt, this woman is well known in the area, not only for her skirt but for her demeanour and routine, she is quite the mystery. Except to the narrator who has been observing her from a far, and subtly influencing the woman in the purple skirt's life.

This is a short book, my kindle said it would be finished in less that 3 hours, which it was. That is where the beauty lies, the writer packs in so much information with such few words. I was fully absorbed into the narrator's obsession, which grows throughout the book. You want to keep reading till the last page. I don’t want to give too much away, but I did think it was building up to more of a bigger twist at the end, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t good, it left things open in a satisfying way.

It’s a compelling read, it’s short, but has so much depth. I got a clear picture of place and the people in it. There are funny and disturbing moments. The other characters are believable as is the way the story progresses. It was a small glimpse into lives that I desperately want to know more about.

The narrator is as much a mystery to me as the women in the purple skirt is to them and I can’t stop thinking about it.

A Japanese thriller focusing on obsession. The woman in the purple skirt is being observed obsessively by the narrator, who we gradually learn to call the woman in the yellow cardigan. The woman in the purple skirt has no idea that her every move is being followed and speculated upon, often into mundane details such as what time she got on a bus or what a meal cost. The woman in the yellow cardigan implies that the woman in the purple skirt is somebody whom everybody notices, while she herself is someone who is barely ever noticed. This is a very unsettling book with the unusual aspect of being from the point of view of the stalker, who doesn’t seem to find anything wrong with the fact that she is obsessively watching another single woman; for her it is an innocent hope that she might be able to make friends with her, and is subtly ‘helping’ her from the wings, but in reality we can see that her whole live hangs upon the life of watching another’s. As well as the theme of obsession it’s an interesting observation on loneliness and the feeling of disconnectedness in modern society. Interesting and very quick to read, but it felt like a bit of a flat ending.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Faber and Faber for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

A short and quirky Japanese novella. Written in clear-cut prose, The Woman in the Purple Skirt is an abstract and atmospheric exploration of obsession, an almost surreal take on domestic thriller fiction.

In buying a bun every day and eating it on the same park bench, The Woman in a Purple Skirt becomes the obsession of the lesser woman in a yellow cardigan.

Smoothly written, stalker fiction involving two unattached women. Pleasant, with sufficient mystery to draw the reader on.

My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC.

This reminded me somewhat of Convenience Store Woman. It’s a little abstract. The book is told from the perspective of the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who observes the Woman in the Purple Skirt throughout the book; as she goes about her daily life. Initially it held my attention, but this started to wane somewhat as the book progressed; I felt like I was waiting for a crucial plot twist that never quite materialised.

A lovely little gem of a book. On one level it is a short, easy to read story of one woman obsessively watching another. However as it progresses your perspective changes and there is a lot to think about by the end. I do love a lot of the translated Japanese literature we are lucky to have so much of now that has this style of hidden depths to a simple story.

Almost every day, the Woman in the Purple Skirt buys a single cream bun and goes to the park, where she sits on a bench to eat it as the local children taunt her. She is observed at all times by the undetected narrator, the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. From a distance the Woman in the Purple Skirt looks like a schoolgirl, but there are age spots on her face, and her hair is dry and stiff. Like the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, she is single, she lives in a small, run-down apartment, and she is short on money. The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan lures her to a job where she herself works, as a hotel housekeeper; soon the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss. Unfortunately, no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.

This is a book about obsession, you can certainly see the ways in which it's similar to a lot of the domestic thrillers coming out these days, where one woman becomes obsessed with another .Even though a lot of the time not much happens, you keep wondering what will happen. It's an impressive tightrope walk.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A short novel about obsession translated from Japanese. This novel centres around the two characters The Woman in the Purple Skirt and the narrator, The Woman in the Yellow Cardigan.

The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a gripping observation on obsession. Natsuko Imamura writes matter-of-factly, drawing the reader into the obsession. I enjoyed the dry writing style and the wry humour that Imamura interjects within the novel and I'm interested to see what she writes next.

The novel is slow paced yet steady with a seamless ending. There is not a lot happening in terms of plot but the reader is kept wondering and questioning. Finishing the book will leave you with more unanswered questions than when you started. Worth a read, particularly if you're a fan of modern Japanese translated literature and sedate 'thrillers' with dark characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber&Faber for the advance copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very short book and so pretty quick to read. It does tale a while to get going but when it does it is hard to put down. The book is about manipulation and the way that people can turn and believe in gossip and lies that are spread. It can be seen in many ways as an allegory to the media and social media and how rumour can turn into fact.
A fascinating book and a quick and easy read once you get into it.