This is the story of a boy named Hajime, growing up in Japan, and trying to find meaning in his life. The book starts out with Hajime in grade school, and is a school outcast because he is an only child. In the 1950s, when he was growing up, only children were extremely rare in Japan and were frowned upon. People assumed Hajime was spoiled and arrogant, which was not the case.
Hajime became friends with his neighbor, Shimamoto, who also happened to be an only child. The spent all of their time together, and spent many afternoons at Shimamoto’s house, listening to her father’s records. A favorite was Nat King Cole. Probably one of the reasons they were such good friends was because they were two of a kind in that culture, being only children.
When Hajime was twelve, his family moved to a different city. He thought of Shimamoto very oft
He believes his life is perfect until Shimamoto walks into his bar one night. He has never forgotten her, and instantly falls in love with her all over again. There is a mystery surrounding Shimamoto that neither Hajime, nor the readers ever fully discover. We know that she does not work, but wears expensive looking clothing. We also know that she had a baby girl who died a year earlier, but is not married. Hajime and Shimamoto begin to spend more and more time together, and end up sleeping together at Hajime’s lake house. But the next morning, when Hajime wakes up, Shimamoto is nowhere to be found, and he never sees her again. He goes home to his wife, tells her everything, and they are able to reconcile. The readers never learn what happened to Shimamoto, but they are lead to believe that she killed herself.
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