Ruui, fascinated by pierced tongues and body modification, drifts into a dangerous relationship with Ama and the tattoo artist Shiba. Pain, pleasure, violence, death, and fierce desire pulse through this 27th Subaru Literary Award winner.

Body modification becomes the shape of Ruui’s desire.

In a small provincial town, a 20-year-old man working part-time watches hints of violence and old relationships creep into everyday life. He keeps moving toward the image of a shore that belongs only to him in this 27th Subaru Literary Award winner.

From a small town, the narrator heads toward a shore that belongs only to him.