Yamazaki, Nao-Cola: Beautiful Distance

An unnamed narrator sits in a cafe overlooking a train station, sipping a green juice and people-watching. A small white butterfly flutters through the air; a calico cat jumps onto a wall; cherry blossom petals fall, softly, to the ground. Life stands still for one moment. He is preparing to visit his terminally ill wife in hospital. So begins this moving novel exploring the distance between people, places and memories in simple and elegant prose, as Yamazaki raises questions around what family means, how we think about death, and how we express love; particularly in a society where work is often prioritised. Beautiful Distance is a profoundly affecting story looking unflinchingly into dying and its aftermath through the prism of community, and quiet yet powerful acts of love, as we move through time and memory, navigating the moral complexities of both love and death alongside our narrator.