Having thoroughly enjoyed his previous book, Ashes, I was thrilled to start reading the latest translation of his work. Winter Sleep, translated by Mark Schilling, is a first-person psychological study of a complicated and lonely abstract artist spending his winter in a cabin near Nagano, Japan. Having been a promising artist who accidentally kills someone during a fight, he has left jail and continued his painting. Working to perfect his art while ensuring that it can be enjoyed and understood by others, he settles into a routine in his winter abode. Three characters routinely enter and exit the his path over the course of the novel: a middle-aged woman who has a passion for his art and selling it; a young female art student who is seeking a teacher, and a young man who is on the run from the police after committing a murder.

Winter Sleep couldn’t be a better title. You really do feel as though you’ve almost gone into hibernation or a cocoon, waiting to see how you change, develop, and emerge in the spring. This book is fabulous for the ride it takes the reader on. Like Ashes, it’s pacing is rhythmic and fluid. It’s not a thriller but it is a page-turner. You are both pushing and being propelled through the story. I highly recommend picking up this book. My only caveat is that the translation isn’t totally up to par. Sometimes there’s an “A” where there should be a “THE”. Less than conscientious editing pops up every dozen or so pages. But, it’s not enough to derail the story, so get out there and grab a copy! Maybe start with Ashes which will give you an appreciation for Kitakata’s prose and psychology.