About the Book: Hollow Inside
In this skewed, mordantly funny novel, two women navigate ageing and
relationships in divergent ways
. Stuck in a bland, low-paying job, Hirai, 38, agrees to move in with her
colleague Suganuma, 42. Both women are single and feel ambivalent at best about
the prospect of marriage. Defying social expectations, they create their own
soothing domestic routines.
But when Suganuma reveals a secret affair, Hirai anxiously rejoins the world of
dating apps. As she drifts through painfully adequate dates and endures
intrusive questions at office socials, Hirai frets over whether she really needs
to freeze her eggs again. In a