Hiromi Kawakami; trans. Allison Markin Powell
The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami, translated from the Japanese by Allison Markin Powell, unfolds in the first-person voice of Hitomi, a young woman who works at the Nakano Thrift Shop.
The narrative is in twelve chapters, with each chapter named after an item that has come through the thrift shop. In addition to describing the items, Hitomi describes the regular patrons; her employer, Mr. Nakano; his sister, Masayo, who frequents the shop on a regular basis; Sakiko, Nakano’s mistress; and Takeo, the thrift shop’s pickup and delivery driver. The chapters are episodic and self-contained. The common thread that runs throughout is the on-again, off-again relationship between Hitomi and Takeo.
The characters, including Hitomi, are all a little quirky. The work environment in the shop is relaxed; the hours, flexible. In spite of the almost familial atmosphere in which employer and employees share meals together, their conversations are stilted as if they are withholding something and are hesitating to speak freely. Their communication stumbles. What is said is by one is seldom understood by others. A paralyzing fear causes them to gravitate toward and away from physical and emotional intimacy. This is particularly evident in the relationship between Hitomi and Takeo. Hitomi scrutinizes and analyzes his gestures, facial expressions, and few spoken words. She harasses him with continuous phone calls to which he doesn’t respond, decides to break it off with him, but then tries to phone him, again. She becomes obsessed with his lack of romantic response even after they have consummated their relationship.
In contrast to the relationships that barely skim the surface, Hitomi describes in granular detail the activities in the shop. She observes and records Mr. Nakano’s mannerisms, speech, and movements in painstaking detail, but she fails to understand him. He remains an enigma. She records the step-by-step process of serving a customer, working the cash register, making and serving tea. She details the appearance and texture of the items entering the shop. She measures the passage of time by describing seasonal changes in the weather. But she fails to understand or communicate openly with the people around her.
The characters don’t evolve or grow and are as static as the objects in the shop. The only action that precipitates a change is when Mr. Nakano decides to sell the shop, and Hitomi and Takeo have to find other means of employment. But when they gather together in the final scene to celebrate Mr. Nakano’s new shop, no amount of wine-drinking can disguise the fact little has changed in the characters. They remain as introverted as ever, taking only halting steps to communicate with one another.