The Woman in My Novel and Other Stories

On a train, a novelist finds a stranger uncannily like the woman he has imagined. Her every gesture offers material for his book—until the encounter unsettles his confidence about the life behind an observed face.

Toyoshima Yoshio’s five complete stories range from early psychological fiction to children’s fantasy. The Death of a Boy follows a young apprentice through hardship, loneliness and the dangerous fascination of overheard adult conversations. The Story of a Comet sends a brave youth toward an extraordinary leap, while Shadow Figures follows children whose painted shadows give way to a mysterious mirror.

In The Benefactor, a young couple welcome an uncle whose past sacrifice made their happiness possible. Affection, gratitude and suppressed feeling drift through conversation, music and a nighttime walk.