Bestselling Author Hanya Yanagihara recommends 'Evening Clouds' by Junzo Shono

In this Guardian Q&A, bestselling author of A Little Life Hanya Yanagihara names one of our titles, Evening Clouds by Junzo Shono, as her go-to book gift. We couldn't agree more!

Shono's classic novel, originally published in 1964, follows the everyday lives of a Japanese family as they get accustomed to living atop a windy hill near Tokyo. This quiet, innocuous narrative offers up a placid slice-of-life realism that engages readers with the details and minutia of Japanese domestic existence.

"In the last year," Yanagihara says, "I have given away multiple copies of Tanizaki’s Some Prefer Nettles and Evening Clouds by Junzo Shono."

She also discusses her life-changing experiences reading Philip Roth's Goodbye, Columbus, her jealousy of Kazuo Ishiguro, and why Hilary Mantel’s earlier work is underrated.

You can read the full Yanagihara Q&A by clicking here. And, hey, why not follow suit and purchase a copy of Evening Clouds for loved ones and friends (or yourself!) by clicking here.