Author Emi Yagi wrote her debut novel, “Diary of a Void,” in snatches at night after working 12 hours a day as an editor for a popular women’s magazine. In 2020, the book won the prestigious Osamu Dazai Prize for its penetrating look at working life and gender expectations in Japan.

In an interview with The Japan Times, Yagi says her life “hasn’t really changed that much” since the publication of her novel, as she still juggles writing with her full-time job. And although reading “Diary of a Void,” which was translated into English by David Boyd and Lucy North and recently released by Viking, may not exactly change a reader’s life either, it will open up perspectives — on finding balance between work and life, on motherhood, on loneliness — in ways both simple and profound.

“It's about problems women face, but it’s also about loneliness,” Yagi says about her book. “I hope the importance of sharing and empathizing with others will come across. I wanted to write a story showing that it's important for women not to feel that they are tied to certain roles — like office worker, wife and mother.”