Audible to Start Distributing Yomiuri Literary Prize-Winning Work "The Detective Who Can't Go Home" by Tomoka Shibasaki, Narrated by Ellie Toyoda, from April 2nd
Audible is releasing an audiobook of Tomoka Shibasaki's Yomiuri Literary Prize-winning novel, "The Detective Who Can't Go Home," narrated by actress Ellie Toyoda, starting April 2nd. The novel, praised as a "completely new detective novel," follows a detective who loses his way home after a power outage and embarks on a journey through various towns, confronting memories and landscapes. Both the author and narrator express their joy and honor in bringing this unique story to life through audio.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 2, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 2, 2026 at 14:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 22:26 (367h 54m after Collected)
Amazon Audible (hereinafter, Audible), one of the world's largest audiobook and audio content production and distribution services, will begin distributing Tomoka Shibasaki's "The Detective Who Can't Go Home," narrated by actress Ellie Toyoda, from Thursday, April 2nd.
"The Detective Who Can't Go Home" is a much-talked-about work by Tomoka Shibasaki, which won the 77th Yomiuri Literary Prize (Novel Award) and has garnered significant attention since its publication. Shibasaki, who has depicted the overlapping of time, memory, and place, tells the story of a detective who has lost his way home in this work. It has been praised as a "completely new detective novel," portraying a unique narrative world different from previous detective novels.
The detective "I," who belongs to the "World Detective Committee Federation," becomes unable to return to the room that served as both his detective agency and home after a power outage occurred in a town with steep slopes. "I," who is good at reading maps and should never get lost, cannot find the alley leading to his room no matter how much he searches. As "I" becomes "the detective who can't go home," he moves from town to town, taking on various requests, confronting people's memories and the landscapes that once existed there. Through each request, this detective novel quietly questions what a "place to return to" means in a rapidly changing world, while confronting lost pasts and people's feelings. The story is told in seven chapters, depicting a world that is futuristic yet continuous with our present.
The narration is handled by actress Ellie Toyoda, who is active mainly on stage. While staying close to the protagonist "I"'s perspective, she carefully layers the atmosphere of the town and the breath of its people. By listening to it in audio, even the narrative's pauses and silences resonate more deeply in the heart.
This work repeatedly uses the phrase "A story about ten years from now." Please enjoy the world of the story that unfolds in your ears on Audible, as if walking through the town with the detective "I" while imagining a slightly distant future.
Comment from Ellie Toyoda
"I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations on Tomoka Shibasaki's 'The Detective Who Can't Go Home' receiving the Yomiuri Literary Prize for Fiction! I am deeply honored to have been entrusted with the narration of such an important work.
As I read through it, it felt as if I was stepping into a world 'about ten years from now' and traveling with the detective 'I.' The scenery of the countries visited, and the expressions and breaths of the people encountered, vividly came to life in my mind, making it a truly rich and irreplaceable reading experience.
This was my first time narrating an entire book, and the careful direction and advice from the director and mixer were very reassuring, making it a very enjoyable recording session.
I would be delighted if many people could join the journey of 'The Detective Who Can't Go Home' on Audible."
Comment from Tomoka Shibasaki
"I am delighted that 'The Detective Who Can't Go Home' has become an audiobook and can meet new readers. The 'detective' visits unknown towns, walks, listens to people's stories, and then moves to another place. The townscapes and seashores seen there, the sounds heard, the people encountered, and their memories are brought to life by Ellie Toyoda's voice, expanding the imagination. I believe that listeners will be moved and experience the world of this novel as if traveling with the detective. Thank you very much, Ellie Toyoda, for your narration. May this reach both near and far in this world."
[Work Details]
The Detective Who Can't Go Home
Scheduled distribution date: April 2nd
Author: Tomoka Shibasaki
Narrator: Ellie Toyoda
URL: https://www.audible.co.jp/pd/B0GS929YJS
"Excellent. I read it many, many times. I want to live for at least ten more years just to re-read this novel." -- Mariko Saito
A completely new "detective novel" by Tomoka Shibasaki, whose "Sequel and Beginning" and "One Hundred Years and One Day" are currently popular. "I," a detective belonging to the "World Detective Committee Federation," suddenly becomes unable to return to his room, which serves as both his detective agency and home, one day. In a town full of steep slopes, a town where people don't use umbrellas even in the rain, a summer town where night never falls, a town of sun and sand, a hot town at the beginning of the rainy season, and at the airport of "that town"... "The Detective Who Can't Go Home" travels through a turbulent world.
[Narrator Profile]
Ellie Toyoda (ELLIE TOYOTA)
Active mainly on stage, including popular theater companies such as Mum & Gypsy, Ikiu-me, and Gekidan Takumi, as well as productions organized by Sis Company. In 2024, she played Hermione Granger in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" for one year. Recent major stage appearances include conSept2026: Season ReBORN "Someone Alone / Recovering Human" (directed by Yuka Nishimoto), Theater Unit Pouge "Downstate" (directed by Kae Inaba), "Chikamatsu Shinju Monogatari" (directed by Ryo Horikoshi (Ayame Juhachiban)), "Itsuzoya wa," "The Welkin," "Poni" (all directed by Takuya Kato), "A la marge - Outside Road -," "Enemy of Heaven," "Outside Road" (all directed by Tomohiro Maekawa), and "Light house" (directed by Takahiro Fujita).
[Author Profile]
Tomoka Shibasaki
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1973. Debuted in 1999 when "Red, Yellow, Orange, Orange, Blue" was published in Bungei Bessatsu. In 2007, she received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology New Artist Award, the Osamu Dazai Prize, and the Sakuya Konohana Award for "The Present of That Town." In 2010, she received the Noma Literary New Face Award for "Asleep or Awake." In 2014, she received the Akutagawa Prize for "Spring Garden." In 2024, she received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award and the Junichiro Tanizaki Prize for "Sequel and Beginning." Her other novels include "Panorara," "Kawauso-bori Kaidan Minarai," and "One Hundred Years and One Day." Her essays include "Yo Shiran Kedo Nikki" and many other works.
About Audible
Audible is one of the world's largest audio entertainment services, allowing users to easily enjoy content in audio anytime, anywhere. It offers a rich catalog of over 900,000 works, including audiobooks narrated by professional narrators, actors, and voice actors, as well as a variety of premium podcasts ranging from news to comedy. Currently, the service operates in 11 countries worldwide (Japan, USA, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Italy, Canada, India, Spain, Brazil).