Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi - 3 stars

[Jen K]

When Shibata joined an office manufacturing paper cores to sell, she finds herself the only woman on the team. As the only woman, she soon finds herself in charge of all the extra administrative, receptionist and cleaning duties causing her to work extremely long days with all the additions to her real job. One day when asked to clean day old coffee mugs with cigarette butts put out in the coffee, she claims to be pregnant to avoid the job. Soon she is so committed to the ruse that reality gets a bit blurred. She carefully follows all the guidance for a pregnant woman including an after hours community yoga class for expecting mothers.

It is a quirky book. Shibata isn't able to speak up for herself or prioritize her own well being but she is able to do so for her unborn child. It is a searing look at the culture of the office regards to women and even mothers vs fathers. Quirky and thoughtful.

[Meli]

I picked this up blind, without knowing anything about it, on a recent book trip.

Looking forward to it! Sounds a little weird.

[Jen K]

Fun! I will be interested to hear how you find it! It is a bit weird but fascinating and short.