Ms Ice Sandwich (Japanese Novellas)

A witty, moving story of adolescent love and loss from the acclaimed, prize-winning author of Breasts and Eggs

A Japan Times Book of the decade

A young boy returns obsessively to a supermarket sandwich counter, entranced by the beauty of the woman who works there. Her aloof demeanour and electric blue eyelids make him feel the most intense joy he's ever known. He calls her Ms Ice Sandwich, and he wants nothing more than to spend his days watching her coolly slip sandwiches into bags.

But life keeps getting in the way - there's his beloved grandmother's illness, and a faltering friendship with his classmate Tutti, who she invites him into her private world. Wry, intimate and wonderfully skewed, Ms Ice Sandwich is a poignant depiction of the naivety and wisdom of youth, just as it is passing.



'Mieko Kawakami is always ceaselessly growing and evolving' -- Haruki Murakami

'Thoroughly enjoyable and desirable... beautifully told... Gentle, funny, moving and elegantly translated by Louise Heal Kawai, it is a rare treat' -- Daily Express

'A delightful distraction, and an appetiser for her work' -- The Irish Times

Among many other awards, Haruki Murakami listed Mieko Kawakami as his favourite young writer, so you're obviously going to want to snatch up Ms Ice Sandwich, her first book translated into English. This is a lovely coming-of-age story about a boy who becomes obsessed with a woman who sells sandwiches' -- Bustle

'Easily digestible... a book that ultimately lives longer in the memory than the hour or so it takes to read' -- Financial Times

'Whimsical... Described as Haruki Murakami's 'favorite young novelist' Kawakami is destined to charm Anglophone audiences as well' -- Library Journal

'In Louise Heal Kawai's translation the novella is a wonderful example of the power of narrative voice' -- Japan Times

'The narrator's perspective is so singular and well-crafted that Ms Ice Sandwich's message about the ephemerality of human connection is never in any danger of becoming trite and sentimental' -- Contemporary Japanese Literature

'A refreshing tale of understanding and acceptance... validates the talent of the author and makes it a good introduction to Mieko Kawakami's universe' --Japan Society Journal