Recitative

Toni Morrison, translated by Yuriko Shinomori, "Recitatif" (2025).

If she calls "Recitatif" an "experiment," she means it. The subjects of that experiment are the readers—

Twyla and Roberta, roommates at an institution, were a white and Black duo called "salt and pepper." As time passed, the two reunited four times: at a diner, a supermarket, a demonstration, and a restaurant. What is true about the shared memories and about them? This is the only experimental novel left by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison.

The fifth installment in the "I am I am I am" series. This series of selected international literature offers a chance to encounter previously overlooked voices through reading stories. It's a series that isn't "hard to pick up, stiff, or difficult-looking," making it recommendable even for those reading international literature for the first time.