Diary of a Void: A Novel
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker · NPR · WBEZ’s Nerdette · The New York Public Library · Literary Hub
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
“One of the most passionate cases I’ve ever read for female interiority, for women’s creative pulse and rich inner life.” ―Katy Waldman, The New Yorker
“Always expect the unexpected when you’re not expecting.” ―Sloane Crosley
A woman in Tokyo avoids harassment at work by perpetuating, for nine months and beyond, the lie that she’s pregnant in this prizewinning, thrillingly subversive debut novel about the mother of all deceptions, for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Breasts and Eggs
When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that as the only woman at her new workplace—a manufacturer of cardboard tubes—she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can’t clear away her coworkers’ dirty cups—because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant.
Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. She’s living a year of rest and relaxation, and is finally being treated by her colleagues as more than a hollow core. But she has a ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her “pregnancy,” the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.
Surreal and absurdist, and with a winning matter-of-factness, a light touch, and a refreshing sensitivity to mental health, Diary of a Void will keep you turning the pages to see just how far Ms. Shibata will carry her deception for the sake of women, and especially working mothers, everywhere.
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
“One of the most passionate cases I’ve ever read for female interiority, for women’s creative pulse and rich inner life.” ―Katy Waldman, The New Yorker
“Always expect the unexpected when you’re not expecting.” ―Sloane Crosley
A woman in Tokyo avoids harassment at work by perpetuating, for nine months and beyond, the lie that she’s pregnant in this prizewinning, thrillingly subversive debut novel about the mother of all deceptions, for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Breasts and Eggs
When thirty-four-year-old Ms. Shibata gets a new job to escape sexual harassment at her old one, she finds that as the only woman at her new workplace—a manufacturer of cardboard tubes—she is expected to do all the menial tasks. One day she announces that she can’t clear away her coworkers’ dirty cups—because she’s pregnant and the smell nauseates her. The only thing is . . . Ms. Shibata is not pregnant.
Pregnant Ms. Shibata doesn’t have to serve coffee to anyone. Pregnant Ms. Shibata isn’t forced to work overtime. Pregnant Ms. Shibata watches TV, takes long baths, and even joins an aerobics class for expectant mothers. She’s living a year of rest and relaxation, and is finally being treated by her colleagues as more than a hollow core. But she has a ruse to keep up. Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her “pregnancy,” the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve.
Surreal and absurdist, and with a winning matter-of-factness, a light touch, and a refreshing sensitivity to mental health, Diary of a Void will keep you turning the pages to see just how far Ms. Shibata will carry her deception for the sake of women, and especially working mothers, everywhere.
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Community Reviews
….
I am still gathering on my thoughts on this one…
****Spoiler*****
This book was a little wild. MC pretends to be pregnant and goes so far as to start showing pregnancy and visiting a obgyn to confirm and it is etc etc. because the MC told the lie so many times she ended up believing it. We also get her narration so we are unsure if she really is or not, until the end.
I did enjoy this novel and felt the MC was a great narrator. I was always nervous to see how she would keep up the lie and how far she would go.
4/5⭐️
I am still gathering on my thoughts on this one…
****Spoiler*****
This book was a little wild. MC pretends to be pregnant and goes so far as to start showing pregnancy and visiting a obgyn to confirm and it is etc etc. because the MC told the lie so many times she ended up believing it. We also get her narration so we are unsure if she really is or not, until the end.
I did enjoy this novel and felt the MC was a great narrator. I was always nervous to see how she would keep up the lie and how far she would go.
4/5⭐️
4.5 stars
a quick read and really good. thank you to the librarian who recommended this to me.
if you see this and decide to read it please let me know! I’d love to discuss this one. lots of interesting themes of strangeness/otherness vs belonging, defiance, and identity.
at first I thought the title was a mistranslation, as it implies the MC is the void rather than her fake child. but I think it was maybe purposeful and meant to refer to both of them. the MC definitely seems to feel like a void at times, alone and drifting.
overall, would recommend this to the lost people in their 20’s and 30’s who are afraid of trying to thrive in our capitalist economy. again, very fast to read and very enjoyable!
a quick read and really good. thank you to the librarian who recommended this to me.
if you see this and decide to read it please let me know! I’d love to discuss this one. lots of interesting themes of strangeness/otherness vs belonging, defiance, and identity.
at first I thought the title was a mistranslation, as it implies the MC is the void rather than her fake child. but I think it was maybe purposeful and meant to refer to both of them. the MC definitely seems to feel like a void at times, alone and drifting.
overall, would recommend this to the lost people in their 20’s and 30’s who are afraid of trying to thrive in our capitalist economy. again, very fast to read and very enjoyable!
This was definitely a surrealist read. The whole time I kept tittering on whether it was a lie or maybe somehow I had missed something. I really enjoyed this book and it's exactly the perfect length. The author does a really great job of blurring the lines between reality and delusions. Throughout the book, you do get a sense of loneliness. I was honestly surprised by this book. Highly recommend!
Nothing I really disliked about this book, at one point I even fell for it, but nothing too thrilling for me to be excited for something come the end. Solid 6.
Although generally speaking this might fit into the "depressed woman moving" genre, it was frequently humorous and didn't feel heavy. It has serious social observations and grievances but they're tucked so gently into the otherwise fun read that I only really caught them as I finished. (Reminded me a bit of Convenience Store Woman but I enjoyed this more.)
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