Author Rio Shimamoto's Latest Full-Length Novel 'Nostalgia' to be Released on April 23rd! The author positions it as 'the most important work since the COVID-19 pandemic' in her career, a love story where lonely souls are drawn to each other.
Novelist Saya meets So, a young man whose mother is involved in a murder case, and takes him into her home. As strange occurrences begin, So reveals his family's unique background, and Saya finds herself opening up about her own past traumas. The story explores the deepening connection between two individuals drawn to each other's hidden shadows, dealing with themes of loss, guilt, and the search for connection.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 18:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 3, 2026 at 09:02
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 17, 2026 at 08:29 (335h 27m after Collected)
Kawade Shobo Shinsha Co., Ltd. (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo / Representative Director Yu Onodera) will release Naoki Prize-winning author Rio Shimamoto's full-length novel "Nostalgia" (tax-included price 1,870 yen) on April 23, 2026.
●From Rio Shimamoto, On the Publication
Among the novels I have written since the COVID-19 pandemic, this has probably become the most important work.
Please do travel with them to the ends of the earth through this novel.
●Warm support comments are pouring in from various fields!
It was intense. I wanted to save them, and I wanted to be saved. I kept thinking, what should I do?
――Junko Takase (Author)
A momentary "paradise" that rises amidst pain. It's an inescapable light, piercing so deeply it feels destructive.
――It reminded me of Derek Jarman.
――Yukiko Mishima (Film Director)
The various forms of people living through an uncertain era captivate the reader. A world that cannot be divided into perpetrator and victim can only be depicted in literature. It's a book that feels quietly profound yet possesses a mysterious intensity.
――Sayoko Shinoda (Clinical Psychologist)
If only that hadn't happened back then... The definitive work by Shimamoto, who has consistently depicted the imagination of "if" through romance.
――Daisuke Yoshida (Writer)
●'Nostalgia' Synopsis
Novelist Saya meets a young man named So, who has just arrived in Tokyo, through a mutual acquaintance. So, whose mother is the perpetrator of a murder case, has lost both his home and his job, so Saya temporarily takes him in. Although their cohabitation initially seemed smooth, inexplicable phenomena beyond common sense begin to occur around Saya. So says, "I think it's probably my fault," and speaks about his family's faith and his mother's power, things he has never told anyone before. Meanwhile, Saya realizes she can talk to So about her own family, the death of her beloved, and the void in her heart. The two began to be drawn to the shadows each other held—
Since her debut in 2001, Rio Shimamoto has continued to depict the delicate nuances of human emotions, receiving numerous literary awards, including the Naoki Prize. Her works, which delve deep into themes of love, loneliness, and the human psyche, have been adapted into various films and television series based on her original novels.
In her latest full-length novel, "Nostalgia," a man and a woman burdened with loss, guilt, and an inexpressible void meet, and are drawn to each other as they touch upon each other's pasts and pains. The poignant depiction of feelings that make them seek each other out even when they try to maintain distance will surely stir the memories of readers across generations.
This work confronts complex themes such as perpetrator and victim, love and forgiveness, questioning human existence. Please look forward to the release of "Nostalgia," an impressive full-length novel that marks a new frontier for Rio Shimamoto.
●Rio Shimamoto
Born in Tokyo in 1983. Debuted in 2001, receiving the Gunzo New Writer's Award for "Silhouette."
She received the Noma Literary New Face Prize in 2003 for "Little by Little," the Shimase Literary Prize for Romance in 2015 for "Red," and the Naoki Prize in 2018 for "First Love." Recent works include "Tenshi wa Mienai Kara, Egakanai" (Because Angels Are Invisible, I Don't Draw Them) and "Ichigeki no Ohimesama" (The One-Hit Princess).
●New Publication Information
Nostalgia
Author: Rio Shimamoto
Specifications: Yotsuroku-ban / Hardcover / 256 pages
Release Date: April 23, 2026
Tax-included price: 1,870 yen (main unit 1,700 yen)
ISBN: 978-4-309-03261-0
Cover illustration: Koki Ando
Book design: Albireo
URL: https://www.kawade.co.jp/np/isbn/9784309032610/
*E-books will also be released on the same day. Please check each e-book store for details.