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Mafuyu Miyanishi

みやにし まふゆ

Miyanishi Mafuyu

Profile

Gender
Female
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Novelist
Active Years
2017-

Awards

52nd Mephisto Prize
2017
Work: Someone Is Watching
Organization: Kodansha (Mephisto editorial team)
Result: Winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Someone Is Watching

2017 Mystery novel 272 pages

Chikako Enomoto, a housewife working part-time at a supermarket, cannot stop writing a 'happy and fashionable parenting life' on her blog to win praise, despite how far it is from her real life. Yuko Utano, an apparel-store manager, struggles with sexual estrangement from her husband who is five years younger despite being newly married. Haruka Wakatsuki, a nursery teacher, turns to overeating from work-related stress and pins her hopes on marrying her boyfriend. Yuzuki Takagi appears to live in a prestigious tower apartment and to have a harmonious household. The four women are connected to others in various ways, but then an unexpected incident occurs.

Women's conflictsDeception and façadesDarkness beneath everyday lifeSuspense

Bibliography

  • Someone Is Watching

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Tense prose emphasizing psychological depictionRealistic focus on everyday detail
Recurring Motifs
Isolation of mothers/housewivesRelationships with neighbors and othersFalse images mediated by social media/blogs

Legacy

Gained attention as a winner of the Mephisto Prize and was praised by readers and critics as a suspense work depicting women's conflicts. After its 2017 publication critics often noted its shocking finale and elements of redemption.

Quotes

  • This work is a story about women's conflicts. I wanted to write it to say, 'Everyone has weaknesses. No one is perfect. And that's okay, right?'
    Source: Author interview / Kodansha description (2017)
  • I was astonished by the ending. This is by no means an 'icky' mystery; rather it is a story of redemption — and that was the greatest shock. I was moved by the torrential climax that awaited at the end of this compelling suspense.
    Source: Hiroko Oya (literary critic) (2018)
  • The second half of the story is remarkable. From the end of chapter 4 onward there's a barrage of surprises that manipulate the reader, yet it lands in an unexpected place for an 'icky' mystery. I admired that this was the author's greatest scheme.
    Source: Masamitsu Hosoya (literary critic) (2018)

Trivia

  • Winner of the 52nd Mephisto Prize
  • Published by Kodansha on 2017-04-13
  • Cover design by Naoko Nakui; cover illustration by agoera
  • 272 pages
  • ISBN: 978-4-06-220470-5
  • Genre: Mystery novel