Diary of a Void by Emi Yagi | book review

A fake pregnancy subverts gender expectations and propels self-care in Japanese debut novel

The premise is compelling: 34-year-old Ms Shibata finds herself as the only woman in her Tokyo workplace, expected to do all the menial tasks. Frustrated, she does the only she can think of: she announces she’s pregnant and can’t do the dirty dishes at the office because the smell nauseates her. She’s suddenly relieved from the task and from then on, he…