The Passengers on the Hankyu Line
By (Author) Hiro Arikawa
Translated by Allison Markin Powell
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Doubleday
3rd June 2025
5th June 2025
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Fiction in translation
Hardback
240
Width 130mm, Height 204mm, Spine 25mm
500g
From the authentic and original healing fiction author of TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES comes a 1.4-million-copy bestseller - set in a famously scenic railway line in Japan, following key emotional dramas for five commuters. DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FEELGOOD JAPANESE NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES Over 1.4 million copies sold in Japan 'You will be wrapped in laughter and tears' Reader review***** 'What I love about it is its Kindness' Reader review***** 'I wanted to tap the shoulders of the characters' Reader review***** Famously scenic, the Hankyu commuter train trundles daily through Japanese landscape unaware of the heartaches of the passengers it carries. On the outward journey we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters as we puzzle out how they will unravel; on the return journey six months later, we watch them resolve- - a man meets the woman who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can take it out himself - a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad - a university student leaves his hometown for the first time - a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend; - an elderly widow discusses adopting the Dachshund she has always wanted with her granddaughter. As the seasons come around, so the Hankyu line trundles on carrying the lives and loves of its passengers ever forwards.
Hiro Arikawa (Author) HIRO ARIKAWA is the multi-million-copy bestselling author of THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES and THE GOODBYE CAT. Passing through a scenic mountainous region of Japan, the famous Hankyu line is a privately run railway that connects Osaka and Kyoto and is famous for its maroon-coloured vintage-style carriages. One of its much-visited stops is the city of Takarazuka, where the author of this book lives. Published twenty years ago, this enduring Japanese classic has sold 1.4 million copies and has been published worldwide.