Fear and Trembling by Amelie Northomb

Fear and Trembling

Amelie Northomb

Fulfilling a lifelong dream to live and work in Japan, Amelie, a western woman, goes to work for the Yumimoto corporation in Japan. This turns into a laughable nightmare. It makes you think of the old saying: 'Be careful what you wish for, you may just get it.'

Extract
'You no longer know how to speak Japanese. Is this clear?'
'But - it was because of my knowledge of language that I was hired by Yuminmoto!'
'That doesn't matter - I am ordering you not to understand Japanese anymore.'
'That's impossible. No one could obey an order like that.'
'There is always a means of obeying. That's what Western brains need to understand.'
Parallels
  • The Earthquake Bird by Susanna Jones
  • Character of Rain by Amelie Northomb
  • Rising Sun by Michael Crichton