Meiko Kawakami, Louise Heal Kawai (Translator) – Ms Ice Sandwich (2013, translation 2017)

Ever since the publication of Breasts and Eggs Meiko Kawakami’s has become more popular but before the English translation of that novel, indie press, Pushkin quietly released this novella way pre-Kawakami mania.

The book focuses on a narrator who is obsessed with a lady who sells sandwiches from a stall in the local mall. The reason why he gave her that nickname is because of her distinctive eyes. However the narrator’s life is a challenging one: he does not have a father, his mother neglects him and his only confidante is his demented grandmother. Later on he manages to find a friend but she also has problems and their friendship is an unstable one.

Thus Ms. Ice Sandwich is a metaphor for loneliness, desolation and abandonment. The more the narrator becomes aware of this, the more he gravitates towards Ms. ice Sandwich. The problem is that the narrator has to move on and face reality. is he capable of this?

For a tiny novel, I think Ms. Ice Sandwich get it’s message through powerfully. Through the economic prose we can sympathise with the boy and partake in his naïve worldview easily. The novella is a breezy read and contains trademarks of other novels: bullying, escapism and an almost meta-fascination with something we take for granted. It’s a fun and sweet book, which, compared to the two I read, is lighter but it shows how versatile Kawakami is as an author.