A thirteen-part journey through contemporary Japan taking in themes as disparate as mental illness, Buddhism, the human drive for validation, workplace harassment, cults, tourist pollution, and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“First Book” is a column where we ask first-time authors what inspired them to write their debut book, novel or translation.
Books on Asia: What’s your book’s “elevator pitch?”
Andrew Innes: The Short Story Collective is a thirteen-part journey through contemporary Japan with the odd stop along the way to visit both the past and the future. Taking in themes as disparate as mental illness, Buddhism, the human drive for validation, workplace harassment, cults, tourist pollution, and the consequences of the pandemic, amongst others.
BOA: You live in Himeji, right? and what made you decide to write about Himeji?
Innes: Yes, but the book isn’t only about Himeji. There are references to Osaka, Kyoto, Awaji Island, Ikuno and the little known village of Tada. The public bath in the story “When in Rome” is based on my favourite sento (public bath) in Kyoto, and the opening scene in “The Gaijin Parade” was inspired by a real hot spring deep in the heart of Shikoku.
BOA: Can you explain the title The Short Story Collective?
Innes: The book title comes from the lead story of the same name. The `collective` is a group of six writers who get together once a week and take turns to tell each other their latest offering. The group’s youngest member heads into the countryside of Ikuno for some inspiration and encounters a drunken salamander who tells him the most beautiful story he has ever heard. The story is so sublime that it brings grown men to tears and will make the young writer a god of the literary world. The only condition is that the story not pass beyond the boundaries of the river from whence he heard it. When he breaks his promise to the salamander, he befalls a surreal fate that cuts short his newfound fame.
BOA: What makes it stand out from other books of the short-story genre?
Innes: I have come across books and articles that discuss the aspects that my book deals with, such as hikikomori, cancel culture, workplace harassment, cults, discrimination, stereotypes, tourist pollution, Buddhism, and the consequences of the pandemic for young people, amongst others. I have also read books that describe the experiences of foreigners living in Japan. The one thing I think these books and articles have in common, however, is that they are often journalistic or biographical in style. With my book I believe the merging of fiction and fact is what makes it interesting.
BOA: How did you get into writing?
Innes: A friend and colleague recommended a teaching journal called The Font that accepts short stories on teaching in a foreign country. I submitted a story, had it accepted, and a year or two later, I was offered the job of editor of the actual journal and felt inspired to keep writing. I always like to have a project to keep me busy, and decided that I’d compile the stories I’d already written and set a goal of writing a total of ten set around the backdrop of Japan. Ten became thirteen, which seemed like an interesting number to settle on given the dark nature of some of the content.
BOA: Did you have any setbacks when writing the book?
Innes: Character representation was something constantly running through my mind. Identity politics is at the forefront of so many discussions these days, and I was very conscious of trying not to tread on any toes. Should this character be male or female? What nationality should this character be? So some of the minor characters don’t have any gender assigned to them.
About the Author:
Andrew Innes grew up near Manchester, England and moved to the castle city of Himeji, Japan, in 2002, where he now works at three universities teaching speaking and writing skills and editing the online journal, The Font. He holds degrees in psychology, and applied linguistics.
The Short Story Collective is currently only available in e-book form and will be released Nov. 20, 2021. Read an extract from book, “The Rotten Mikan” as it appears in The Font. or pre-order a copy of the book from the “Where to Buy” link at the top of the page.