WINNER OF THE AKUTAGAWA PRIZE 'So bracing so strange and humane . . . I loved it.' SHARLENE
TEO author of PONTI 'Funny . . . All the people in this novel are alive.' HIROMI KAWAKAMI
author of STRANGE WEATHER IN TOKYO 'Witty and sharp . . . I devoured it.' NATALIE SUE
bestselling author of I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU WELL 'A slim but impactful novel that will make
you laugh and think' DAZED The power dynamics of the office are never more obvious than when
it comes to food: mandatory lunches with the boss the colleague who tries to curry favour with
home-baked goods discovering the discarded remnants of someone else's late-night binge . . .
In their Saitama office Ashikawa is the kind of woman Nitani knows he will likely marry: sweet
obliging and determined to wean him off his addiction to instant noodles. But he finds himself
increasingly unable to respect her - or the sugary treats she shares around the workplace
winning their colleagues' affection with baking rather than hard work. Oshio is bolder and
uninhibited - she is Nitani's drinking buddy. In the oppressive office atmosphere the pair
grows closer both outsiders struggling with the rigid status quo. Driven to behave in
increasingly absurd ways by the workplace rules that govern their lives they must navigate the
tensions of modern life: between leisure and hard work indulgence and restraint the promise
of delicious food and the reality of a lonely pot noodle.
