Amelie Nothomb: 4 books

The Japanese believe that until the age of three, children, whether Japanese or not, are gods, each one an okosama, or "lord child." On their third birthday they fall from grace and join the rest of the human race. In Amelie Nothomb's new novel, The Character of Rain, we learn that divinity...

Life Form, Amélie Nothomb's nineteenth novel is a smart, singular, surreal novel about personality and philosophy, trauma and healing, solitude and human connection from one of the most widely read and beloved authors working today.  One morning, the heroine of this book, a famous author...

Amélie Nothomb is one of Europe's most successful and talked about authors. Hygeine and the Assassin, her first published novel, became a phenomenon, occupying a unique position in the world of French and international fiction. Delightful and witty, *Pétronille *is further proof of Nothomb's...

According to ancient Japanese protocol, foreigners deigning to approach the emperor did so only with fear and trembling. Terror and self-abasement conveyed respect. Amélie, our well-intentioned and eager young Western heroine, goes to Japan to spend a year working at the Yumimoto Corporation. Returning...