The Bookshop Woman - Nanako Hanada - Translated by Cat Anderson

Nanako Hanada’s life has hit rock bottom. Separated from her husband, she’s living between 4-hour capsule hostels and pokey internet cafes in Tokyo. Work is going no better as sales at her eccentric bookstore dwindle. Reading is the only thing keeping her alive.

That’s until Nanako downloads an app called Perfect Strangers which offers 30 minutes with someone you’ll never see again. Introducing herself as a sexy bookseller, she recommends strangers ‘the book that will change their life’. In the ensuing year, Nanako meets hundreds of people, some of whom want more than just a book…