Akiko's Quiet Happiness

The Japan Trilogy, Vol. 1

By: Jan-Philipp Sendker, Daniel Bowles - translator

Narrated by: Jennifer Ikeda

Two lonely former classmates reconnect in Tokyo and unravel a family secret in this touching new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.

Still grieving the death of her mother, 29-year-old Akiko is single and lives in self-imposed isolation in Tokyo. Then one evening, she unexpectedly runs into Kento, her first love from school. Kento now leads a reclusive life as a hikikomori, only venturing out at night.

At the same time, Akiko discovers evidence that her mother had been lying to her about their family, causing her to doubt everything. She has to admit to herself that she doesn’t know who she is.

With Kento’s help, Akiko embarks on a journey into her own history, which takes her life in surprising directions and leads her to questions she had never dared to ask herself before: How do I want to live? And do I have the courage to love?

©2024, 2025 Jan-Philipp Sendker. © 2024 by Karl Blessing Verlag, a division of Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe GmbH, Munich, Germany. Originally published in German as Akikos stilles Glück in 2024 by Blessing Verlag, Munich. Translation © 2025 by Daniel Bowles (P)2026 Blackstone Publishing

Thoughtful and emotionally penetrating

Bravo 👏 another book that touched me to my core. The story makes you rethink things in your life. I was so moved by the words I had to stop at times to ponder what i had just heard. The book left me with a lump in my throat. Not too long ago I lost my Mom. This book spoke to me. Thank you for sharing your gift of writing.