This January, we kick off the year in book clubs with an online discussion of Yoko Ogawa’s Diving Pool. Ogawa is one of contemporary Japan’s most celebrated authors, and her collection of meticulously crafted, dark and troubling novellas provides a glimpse into the subtle, twisted drama of everyday life. Discussion will be led by Amber Qureshi, senior editor at Free Press, an ardent supporter of literature in translation and of Japanese literature in particular. Prior to being at Free Press, Amber was at Picador, where she acquired rights to three books by Yoko Ogawa, The Diving Pool among them.

Amber’s introduction will go live tomorrow. In addition to which, we will have a number of features on the blog throughout the month, including short essays by the translator of the book, Stephen Snyder, and Allison Powell an editor and literary translator from the Japanese. Check in every Monday for the essays and other short features and send in your questions for Amber, who will be posting on our blog regularly and responding to readers’ questions.

We encourage all our readers to follow along and to join in the discussion. A live event, with Allison and Stephen in discussion, will also be held tonight, January 8, at the Idlewild bookstore in New York City. We hope all our readers in the New York area will make it out for a stimulating discussion of this fascinating book and the reception after.