New York: Harper Perennial, (2010). SIGNED first edition - Award-winning writer's highly praised first novel. "Hoping to outpace her grief in the wake of her father's suicide, Marina has come to the small, rural Japanese town of Shika to teach English for a year. But in Japan, as she soon discovers, you can never really throw away your past. . a novel at once a fish-out-of-water tale, a dark comedy of manners, and a strange kind of love story. SIGNED on the title page and dated in the year of publication. 356 pp plus 16 pp of additional material, including an interview with the author. ISBN: 978-0061732850.