A Hundred Years and a Day: 34 Stories

In these vignettes and histories, protagonists do simple and complicated things. They talk with family about funny things that happened at their mundane jobs. They meet new friends in school and bump into them years later. They pursue ambitious dreams in the face of gentrification. They flee industrial society completely in the face of global conflict. It all happens in a constant tone, all of humanity an interconnected coming and going.

Shibasaki manages to fit thirty-four distinct stories into a slim book. Though each tale averages only about six pages, they suggest much more depth than what is presented on the surface. At times touching on four generations of a family, the bird’s eye view narration stretches time into a shape that forces the reader to reflect upon how we each use our own short time in the universe. How would someone tell your life story in six pages?

I will admit it took me a few stories to get into the style of exceedingly long titles and minimally short stories. Eventually, it clicked. I was in. Naturally, some stories will resonate with the reader more than others. But, it’s worth a read to find your favorite of the thirty-four.