{"product_id":"when-the-museum-is-closed-isbn-9781593768270","title":"When the Museum Is Closed","description":"\u003cb\u003eA quirky, joyful, feel-good love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus, from the author of international bestseller \u003ci\u003eDiary of a Void\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus—in Latin—every Monday, when the museum is closed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eInitially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old university professor for her exemplary language skills, Rika leads an otherwise unassuming life, working the rest of the week in a frozen-food warehouse. As Venus comes to life in the quiet of the museum, they talk about everything. Venus opens up new worlds for Rika, both intellectually and emotionally. They soon fall in love. But when the museum’s curator, Hashibami, makes it clear he wants to keep Venus for himself, what will Rika do?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhen the Museum is Closed\u003c\/i\u003e is by turns charming, funny and surprising, a surreal take on our most real emotions and concerns: love, loneliness, freedom, perceptions of beauty and how women are seen in society. This uncommonly original new novel confirms Emi Yagi as one of the most exciting Japanese writers published in English today.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVulture\u003c\/i\u003e, A Must-Read of the Month\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Orange County Register\u003c\/i\u003e, A Most Anticipated Book\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAutostraddle\u003c\/i\u003e, A Most Anticipated Queer Book of the Month\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/i\u003e, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“[A] unique, witty novel about love and loneliness.” —\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This novella is a tender, surrealistic, delightful masterpiece . . . Yagi’s storytelling style is perfect for fans of Lydia Millet and Ted Chiang . . . One to reread on the rainy days, the overwhelming days, or the lonely days.\" —Sophie Richmond, \u003ci\u003eYakima Herald-Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[T]hickly complex . . . Ultimately, \u003ci\u003eWhen the Museum Is Closed\u003c\/i\u003e is both a love story and a tale about stepping into the unknown. It asks whether you would willingly throw yourself into an abyss for the one you love. The story questions how we relate to one another in contemporary society, where we are taught to make self-serving, safe choices.\" —Grace En-yi Ting, \u003ci\u003eThe Japan Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yagi and her translator Yuki Tejima have a gift for finding beauty in the quotidian—a kind of ekphrasis of the everyday.\" —Rhoda Feng, \u003ci\u003eArtForum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A fun and (metaphysical) sexy queer love story, Yagi’s latest tackles love, loneliness, and the role of women’s beauty in society.\" —Emily Firetog, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Hub\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eWhen the Museum is Closed\u003c\/i\u003e is a dreamlike take on desire, loneliness, and the transformative power of being perceived by others.\" —Linnea Gradin, \u003ci\u003eElectric Literature\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"As a slim novella, \u003ci\u003eWhen the Museum Is Closed\u003c\/i\u003e might seem initially spare but it's rife with insights on language, communication, love, identity, definitions of beauty, gender roles, and the possibility of true individual freedom.\" —Terry Hong,\u003ci\u003e Shelf Awareness \u003c\/i\u003e(starred review)\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"This whimsical story is a winner.\" —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“[Its] gentle surrealism nevertheless exposes truths about loneliness, beauty, and queer love . . . Fans of Kevin Wilson’s \u003ci\u003eNothing to See Here\u003c\/i\u003e will appreciate Yagi’s blend of dark humor and empathy for her characters, while the unconventional love story may appeal to fans of \u003ci\u003eSky Daddy\u003c\/i\u003e, by Kate Folk or \u003ci\u003eBlob\u003c\/i\u003e, by Maggie Su.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Yagi’s characters and the world they inhabit are as inimitably charming as they are whimsical. Through them, the author explores weightier themes like loneliness, love, sexuality, and the meaning of art with flair, zest, and a refreshing touch of the surreal. A magical love story couched in absurdist fabulism.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“After loving \u003ci\u003eDiary of a Void\u003c\/i\u003e and now \u003ci\u003eWhen the Museum Is Closed\u003c\/i\u003e, I can confidently say that I love the way author Emi Yagi’s brain works! Thank you Emi for writing these delightfully unhinged and charmingly unconventional stories.” —Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores (Washington, DC)\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eEMI YAGI\u003c\/b\u003e is an editor at a women’s magazine in Japan. She was born in 1988 and lives in Tokyo. Her first novel and international cult hit, \u003ci\u003eDiary of a Void\u003c\/i\u003e, won the Osamu Dazai Prize, awarded annually to the best debut work of fiction.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eYUKI TEJIMA \u003c\/b\u003eis a translator from the Japanese whose projects include Mizuki Tsujimura’s \u003ci\u003eLost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow to Hold Someone in Your Heart \u003c\/i\u003eand Kumi Kimura’s \u003ci\u003eSomeone to Watch Over You,\u003c\/i\u003e among others. Raised in California, she now lives in Tokyo.","brand":"Soft Skull","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233845391589,"sku":"NP9781593768270","price":18.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781593768270.jpg?v=1767743987","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/when-the-museum-is-closed-isbn-9781593768270","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}