‘Sympathy Tower Tokyo’ by Rie Qudan (Review)

August has rolled around once more, which means it’s time for one of my favourite events of the blogging year, Women in Translation Month! Founded by Meytal Radzinski back in 2014, it offers readers and reviewers an opportunity to celebrate the work of female and non-binary writers originally written in a language other than English. I’ve taken part every year since the inaugural edition, and it’s always an enjoyable opportunity to revisit some of my favourite writers and branch out a little to see what else the world of literature has to offer. This time around, I’m hoping to write nine or ten new posts, and, as you may have suspected, there’ll be a distinctly Japanese flavour to proceedings. That starts today with a vicarious trip to Tokyo – let #WITMonth begin! ***** Rie Qudan’s Sympathy Tower Tokyo (translated by Jesse Kirkwood) introduces us to thirty-seven-year-old Sara Machina, a rising star in the world of architecture. We find her in her room at a luxury hotel, looking out…