Our book group choice for November 2026 is Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley. Bradley’s second novel employs an intricate metafictional frame, nesting a traditional coming-of-age domestic drama inside an expat’s existential crisis of craft.
The outer narrative centres on Flo Dunthorpe, living in Tokyo amidst stalled projects and romantic dissolution. Her chance discovery of Sound of Water sparks an obsessive personal translation endeavour.
The inner narrative transports the reader away from the capital to the quiet coastal lanes and temple paths of Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture. There, nineteen-year-old Kyo grapples with familial disgrace, a secret passion for illustration, and the formidable presence of his estranged grandmother, Ayako. As grandmother and grandson negotiate shared grief and unspoken histories across spring, summer, autumn, and winter, Flo’s journey to track down the enigmatic Hibiki becomes an inquiry into the responsibilities of the translator and the solace of storytelling.
Discussion Questions
To come
Individual Ratings
To come.