Diary of a Void: A hilarious, feminist read from the new star of Japanese fiction

Very interesting read, makes you think about how most people would find pregnancy a challenging time, but our narrator viewed it as a respite. Would recommend.

I thought this had a lot more promise than what was delivered. It could have been really good but actually quite boring and ambiguous. Feminist point came through well but I think something was lost in translation.

Drawn in by the cover, I knew nothing of this book before I bought it but have found it to be a wonderfully quirky and absorbing little read on the roles of women and the feeling of loneliness in trying to 'fit in' and be accepted in a society that places labels on people.Shibata is at the heart of the story - the only female in an office and that means she's expected to carry out all the menial tasks no matter what she has on her plate. But that changes when she takes a bold step in pretending she's pregnant. Immediately the male attitudes towards her change and more care is taken to spread the tasks round - the lengths you have to go to for some respect and courtesy eh!As she envelops herself in her 'role' you get to see the other side of her life, one that is quite regimented and looking for acceptance. She feels part of the 'mummies to be' brigade and finally feels less invisible. It's such a quirky concept that the lines are blurred often as to whether she is pregnant or not, but it really just adds to the charm of this book and gives you that wider look at society and how women have to fit certain criteria before they are even seen...I loved this book and the gentle way her story was told. It's not packed full of action but it is more relatable and emotion invoking because of it's approach.

Emi Yagi’s novel won the Osamu Dazai Award for best debut fiction. It’s narrated by Shibata, an office worker in her thirties, she lives alone. Her life is overtaken by the demands of work, long hours, and the expectations placed on her as the only woman in her section. Emi Yagi’s talked about Kikuko Tsumura’s <i>There’s no such thing as an easy job</i> as one of the inspirations for her novel but attempting to juggle personal life with work life is something she’s also clearly dealt with – this was written in bursts at the end of 12-hour days at her own job. Her central character Shibata’s consigned to trivial but exhausting everyday tasks, making the coffee, clearing up after meetings, answering the phone, while the men around her benefit from her ability to make their time in the office that much smoother. But, although she doesn’t show it, Shibata’s resentful and increasingly angry, she’s had enough of being put upon and taken for granted, and one day she decides on an unusual method of taking control. She tells everyone she’s pregnant, and suddenly her burden’s lifted, she becomes special, exempt from menial office work, free to leave on time, encouraged to invest in her own health and well-being. But soon that lie becomes fantasy and then fantasy and reality are increasingly blurred.Emi Yagi’s narrative unfolds in clear, uncluttered prose but it’s also filled with memorable scenes and images, some of which have a slightly uncanny, surreal flavour. Her story slowly develops into a fascinating exploration of urban alienation and loneliness, as well as absurdly all-encompassing work environments, and offers up a moving perspective on gender and Japanese society and the possibility of self-realisation. Shibata’s experiences - which sometimes reminded me of the current obsession with ‘quiet quitting’ - are represented in the form of a weekly diary which are shaped by the information provided by an app which outlines each stage of her supposed pregnancy. At first, I was a little anxious that Shibata’s story would turn out to be an unthinking tale of maternal privilege, but Emi Yagi’s approach is far cleverer and subtler than that. She takes on a critique of the cultural expectations that can shape both men’s and women’s roles in relation to parenthood, but also the ways in which pregnancy can transform women into incubators – or spaces for implantation - not just for future children but as containers for society’s desires and needs: the classificatory systems that can both liberate and oppress, some of which are exposed through Shibata’s gradual incorporation into a small community of pregnant women via a specialist aerobics class. From my point of view the result’s an absorbing, insightful, beautifully-constructed piece.

An unusual and enigmatic short novel which raises interesting questions about gender roles, societal expectations of women/motherhood, work life balance and beyond. I enjoyed the slightly unpredictable nature of the story, wondering how the protagonist would resolve their unusual situation and their decisions were a thought-provoking kind of empowerment. The insight into how the minutiae of the lead's day-to-day life were affected by her lie (supermarket shopping, leisure time, baths, movies etc) was intimate, gentle, readable, relatable - albeit a touch melancholy and tinged with a loneliness that made for a less than upbeat read. My only real downside of the story was finding the ending somewhat hard to fathom, but I appreciate that playing with what's 'real' can be common in Japanese literature. An intriguing read - thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the opportunity.

I found Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi a bit confusing in the execution of the story. I did read it quite fast, as it is a short book and I was hooked, but still, I got lost! I don't know if this is because of the story itself or the translation, or both.Shibata is the only woman in her workplace and she is expected to do other tasks such as tidying and coffee on top of her usual duties. One day she gets fed up and fakes a pregnancy. The workplace then changes some things as a result and she gets away with many things. At some point the story gets quite ridiculous and confusing, you don0't really know whether she is pregnant for real or not.Anyway, it definitely highlights how sexist society can be. Why does a woman need to be pregnant, fake or not, in order for a workplace to be slightly better? It definitely shows that things need to change and be more equal for everyone.