Work

After releasing Farewell to the Departed, Hirano shocked his readers by changing tracks. The title work lyrically depicts a night spent together by a man and a woman in a setting reminiscent of I-novels, delicately placing the act of making love as a part of the process of communication. The short story Memory is about a father’s death that can’t be remembered, using metaphors that are repeated and restructured. In Shimizu, the solitude of existence is depicted vividly with the backdrop of an illusory background.
Hyokai uses a novel way of storytelling, with each page split into the top and bottom of the page. The story is about the small misunderstandings between a boy who has lost his mother, and a woman who commits adultery.
These short stories give the strong impression of the author’s lyricism and talent.