Fault Lines by Emily Itami on May 31, 2022
Pages: 224
Format: Hardcover
Fault Lines by Emily Itami is an amazing debut novel that tackles love, marriage, and cultural identity in a way that’s totally real and relatable. This one did start out slowly for me, but once I got into it I couldn’t put it down. The story follows Mizuki, an aspiring Japanese singer turned housewife who falls into a rut in her daily life and ends up in an affair with Kiyoshi.
Itami’s writing is sharp, and she totally nails the complexities of Mizuki’s experiences as a Japanese housewife who seems to have it all, yet feels very lonely. Many women might be able to relate to Mizuki. Her husband works long hours, so she takes care of her two kids all day, while cooking, cleaning, and doing endless laundry. Then her exhausted husband comes home with his head buried in his phone. They communicate very little.
Some days I can’t quite work out how got here; I opted for the guy, I opted for the kids, I just didn’t realize that meant waving goodbye to everything else.
Then one rainy night she meets Kiyoshi, and her life changes a little. She isn’t so lonely anymore, with only her children to talk to. We only hear Mizuki’s point of view. Her husband, Tatsu, doesn’t ever seem to question her. I wish there could have been just one chapter in his head to see how he felt about Mizuki or where his thoughts were.
Overall, Fault Lines is a total page-turner that’ll have you feeling all the feels. Itami is a straight-up awesome writer, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. This book is a must-read for anyone who’s ever struggled in being a wife or mother. Itami handles the themes of marriage, love, and identity with such tenderness. At first, I wasn’t sure that I was going to like this book, but by the end I really appreciated its complexity.