Alexandria Book Club — “Where the Wild Ladies Are” by Aoko Matsuda

Thursday, October 21, 2021
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

About the Book

In this witty and exuberant collection of linked stories, Aoko Matsuda takes the rich, millenia-old tradition of Japanese folktales-shapeshifting wives and foxes, magical trees and wells-and wholly reinvents them, presenting a world in which humans are consoled, guided, challenged, and transformed by the only sometimes visible forces that surround them. A busybody aunt who disapproves of hair removal; a pair of door-to-door saleswomen hawking portable lanterns; a cheerful lover who visits every night to take a luxurious bath; a silent house-caller who babysits and cleans while a single mother is out working. Where the Wild Ladies Are is populated by these and many other spirited women-who also happen to be ghosts. This is a realm in which jealousy, stubbornness, and other excessive “feminine” passions are not to be feared or suppressed, but rather cultivated; and, chances are, a man named Mr. Tei will notice your talents and recruit you, dead or alive (preferably dead), to join his mysterious company.

About the author

Aoko Matsuda is a writer and translator. In 2013, her debut book, Stackable, was nominated for the Yukio Mishima Prize and the Noma Literary New Face Prize. She has translated work by Karen Russell, Amelia Gray, and Carmen Maria Machado into Japanese.

About the event

All state and federal COVID-19 mandates will be followed.

If Campbell County is ORANGE on the Kentucky Department for Public Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard, everyone, age 2 or older, who attends library programs are required to wear masks.

Please note any accommodation requests in the Special Needs section of the registration form.

Zoom accommodation is available. To attend via Zoom or if you have any other questions, please contact Carrie Ratterman at cratterman@cc-pl.org

Alexandria Branch