The Soul-Catchers

Discover the charming and profound literary gem for fans of Kawabata''s SNOW COUNTRY and Kawaguchi''s BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD What if you could come back after death to watch over your loved one, installing yourself in a treasured mug, for example, or perhaps your mother''s hearing aid, a diary, or even a climbing frame, to be clambered over by the younger sister you will never meet? In The Soul-Catcher, eleven recently deceased protagonists find themselves floating around in the afterlife where they are greeted by a nameless ghost and given one last chance to spend time with their loved ones. But not as you would expect. Each character - a young woman, a homeless old man, a five-year-old boy - are asked to choose an object they would like to inhabit. In a world where souls roam restlessly around after death, unwilling to depart and in need of help towards their exit, The Soul-Catcher is a soothing, witty, and surprisingly sensual take on the Japanese folk belief that objects can be inhabited by human presences. Equal parts charming, profound, immensely moving, Higashi''s powerful classic is an astonishing and original exploration of our eternal need for comfort and connection.

Product details

• Authors: Naoko Higashi
• Assisted by: North Lucy (Translation)
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 19.03.2026
• EAN: 9781529959017
• ISBN: 978-1-5299-5901-7
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 204 mm x 25 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Contemporary literature (from 1945); Japan, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), FICTION / Short Stories (single author), FICTION / Literary, Short Stories, FICTION / Magical Realism, Fiction in translation, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss, Magical Realism, FICTION / World Literature / Japan, Modern and contemporary fiction: general and literary, horror; supernatural; sci-fi; paranormal; urban fantasy