Asa: The Girl Who Turned into a Pair of Chopsticks

by Natsuko Imamura
Asa: The Girl Who Turned into a Pair of Chopsticks cover
Good Books rating 4.33
Contemporary Fiction
Technical:
  • ID: 430
  • Added: 2025-09-11
  • Updated: 2025-09-11
  • ISBN: 9780571384143
  • Publisher: Faber & Faber
  • Published: 2024-06-18
  • Formats: 7
  • Reviews: 3
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Waterstones
Paperback • £9.99

Asa: The Girl Who Turned into a Pair of Chopsticks is a collection of three dark, surreal stories by Natsuko Imamura that explore themes of loneliness, alienation, and the desperate human need for acceptance. Each story begins in a seemingly ordinary setting—a girl offering food, a classmate avoiding playground games, a woman who prefers lying down—but quickly escalates into tragic and absurd outcomes, such as a girl turning into chopsticks or a young woman enduring emotional and physical trauma. The prose is simple yet evocative, allowing the emotional and social complexities to emerge through the characters' struggles. The collection highlights the cruelty of society toward those who stand out or are misunderstood, portraying protagonists who face isolation and rejection despite their efforts to connect. Imamura’s work blends fable-like storytelling with a dark, unsettling tone, capturing the fragility of human relationships and the yearning for care. The stories are emotionally intense and thought-provoking, marked by a mix of tenderness, despair, and surrealism that challenges readers to reflect on invisibility, identity, and the human condition.

Reviews
Asian Review of Books · 2024-07-13
intriguing 4.20

The stories escalate from mundane to tragically absurd, depicting characters facing cruel isolation as they stand out in society, with a lightness of touch that balances the darkness.

This reviewer appreciates how the collection portrays the tragic absurdity that grows swiftly from everyday situations, highlighting the protagonists' struggles for acceptance in a harsh world. They note the author's skillful balance of unsettling themes with a light tone and a sense of childish wonder in the characters, which makes the darkness more bearable and relatable. The stories reveal a world where standing out leads to irreversible isolation, emphasizing the emotional distance that comes when one loses their humanity and ability to receive love.

Quick quotes

    All three of the short pieces included are stories of escalation—in each, the mundane finds itself quickly replaced by the tragically absurd.

    The publicity for the book calls the collection “unsettling”, and this discomfiture has as much to do with the tone as it does with the onrush of the absurd.

    In essence, standing out is the first step to a complete and irreversible isolation.

Bookmunch · 2024-06-26
tender 4.30

The collection is praised for its surreal, tender exploration of loneliness, care, and belonging, with carefully constructed odd plots that highlight vulnerability, especially of women.

This reviewer is captivated by the surreal and tender nature of the stories, particularly how they explore themes of care and loneliness through unusual and imaginative premises. They highlight the story of Asa’s transformation into chopsticks as a poignant metaphor for care and feeding, and the second story about Nami as a powerful commentary on vulnerability and societal neglect. The reviewer appreciates how the oddity of the plots fades as the emotional depth and momentum of the stories take over, making the collection both odd and unexpectedly beautiful.

Quick quotes

    If you’re in the market to hear all about some snappy Japanese surrealism, you’ve come to the right place.

    It’s a story about care, and the lack thereof, as well as the eroticism of food and feeding, and as an exploration of loneliness, it’s tender and odd and unexpectedly beautiful.

    Like ‘Asa’, ‘Nami’ is concerned with the ways in which the most vulnerable – usually women – can drop through the cracks of convention and etiquette.

Readings · 2024-06-16
engaging 4.50

The reviewer enjoyed the unpredictability of each story and found the narratives deeply moving, especially appreciating the unique endings and emotional journeys of the characters.

This reviewer was fully engaged by the book’s unpredictability, expressing delight in not knowing how each story would unfold. They found the characters’ emotional struggles and transformations compelling, particularly resonating with the title story’s surprising but fitting ending. The stories of Nami and Happy also left a lasting impression, with the reviewer empathizing with their hardships and personal growth. Overall, the experience was deeply satisfying and memorable, making the collection a gem worth reading.

Quick quotes

    I devoured this book. I had no idea how each story was going to go and I loved that experience.

    I didn’t see the end of this story coming, but now that I know, it was the only way it could go.

    This story twists and turns, and you can’t help but feel relief for Nami when she finally does get hit.

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