Synopsis
Stand-In Companion, by the award-winning Japanese author Kazufumi Shiraishi, explores the struggle to find love, companionship and meaning in life. In any society, relationship dynamics are complex. And as Hayato, a Japanese industrial designer will discover in this clever and absorbing tale, this is even the case in a future world enriched by technology, AI and androids.
A love story with a twist, Stand-In Companion is a touching and powerful exploration of infertility and relationships. Hayato and his wife, Yutori, face deeply human challenges in a world where science has solved almost every problem.
A clever, absorbing and profoundly modern tale, translated by Raj Mahtani, from one of Japan’s best and most insightful storytellers.
Acclaim
‘a futuristic love story in which the boundaries between the human and AI are blurred to the extent that it’s impossible to tell whether we are reading the narrative of a human or a robot…’
TLS
‘Kazufumi Shiraishi is a unique writer. You can survey the contemporary literary scene in Japan, but I doubt you will readily find any author comparable to him.’
The Mainichi Shimbun
‘Kazufumi Shiraishi is an ingenious author who writes with real flair and insight. In this compelling story he seamlessly blends the universal themes of love, loss and rivalry into a future world driven by cutting-edge technology and AI. This is a love story with a difference; one that will resonate with the reader in a thoroughly thought-provoking manner.’
Alex Pearl, author of Sleeping with the Blackbirds
Kazufumi Shiraishi explores concepts of love, identity and place and the “why” of human existence.’
RTÉ
‘Exceptionally well done… It’s the most satisfying novel I’ve read in quite some time.’
The Complete Review, commenting on The Part of Me That Isn’t Broken Inside by Kazufumi Shiraishi
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About Kazufumi Shiraishi:Kazufumi Shiraishi had a successful career, spanning two decades, as a journalists working for one of Japan's highest profile monthly magazines, Bungeishinju, before following in the steps of his father and twin brother becoming a full time author. He is a deeply thoughtful author who writes about love, life and the human condition and is unique in being the only Japanese author to follow in his father’s footsteps by winning the same major Japanese literary prize.A full list of the author's publications can be downloaded here as a PDF file.
