Member Reviews
Nemra N, Reviewer
Mai Ishizawa’s *The Place of Shells* is a haunting novel about memory, loss, and the lasting impact of disaster. Set in Göttingen, Germany, in 2020, it follows a young Japanese woman who encounters her friend Nomiya—who died in the 2011 tsunami. As reality blurs, eerie events unfold, reflecting the deep grip of trauma and memory. Ishizawa’s poetic, dreamlike writing has been compared to W.G. Sebald and Yoko Tawada. Winner of the Akutagawa Prize, this novel offers a profound meditation on grief, time, and the lingering echoes of the past.
