A Tiny Speck of Black and Then Nothing
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23 July 2026Imprint: Manilla Press
Synopsis
'Exquisitely written and utterly compelling' SUSAN BARKER
'The soul of a stylish mystery and the pace of an old-fashioned thriller' MOHAMMED HANIF
'Elegant, edgy and cinematic' EMMA CLAIRE SWEENEY
Anna has never met anyone like the enigmatic Loll: a British hostess at the Moonglow bar, in the Japanese city of Osaka. While Anna teaches bored students by day, Loll passes the nights in smoky, dim-lit rooms where she pours men's drinks, lights their cigarettes and laughs playfully at their jokes.
With her blonde wigs, shimmering dresses and bejewelled nails, Loll cuts a mesmerising figure. But her skin bears unexplained bruises beneath its glittering facade, and Anna's concern slowly begins to grow. She is troubled by the secret of the carved jade stone necklace that her glamorous new friend seems determined to protect; the mysterious identity of Loll's best client with shadowy links to the city's underworld crime bosses; and the sight Anna witnesses one afternoon: Loll teetering alone on the edge of a railway track, caught in the deafening rush as a train hurtles by.
Unlike Anna who has come to Osaka to learn more about her half-Japanese heritage, Loll seems to have no clear reason for being there and no easily discernible past. And so when she suddenly disappears, there are only the barest of clues as to where she might have gone. But, desperate to find her friend, Anna refuses to give up. Soon she is thrown onto a trail that will take her into the darkest corners of the neon-choked metropolis - hidden, forbidden places from which those who know the city best warn her to stay away.
'The soul of a stylish mystery and the pace of an old-fashioned thriller' MOHAMMED HANIF
'Elegant, edgy and cinematic' EMMA CLAIRE SWEENEY
Anna has never met anyone like the enigmatic Loll: a British hostess at the Moonglow bar, in the Japanese city of Osaka. While Anna teaches bored students by day, Loll passes the nights in smoky, dim-lit rooms where she pours men's drinks, lights their cigarettes and laughs playfully at their jokes.
With her blonde wigs, shimmering dresses and bejewelled nails, Loll cuts a mesmerising figure. But her skin bears unexplained bruises beneath its glittering facade, and Anna's concern slowly begins to grow. She is troubled by the secret of the carved jade stone necklace that her glamorous new friend seems determined to protect; the mysterious identity of Loll's best client with shadowy links to the city's underworld crime bosses; and the sight Anna witnesses one afternoon: Loll teetering alone on the edge of a railway track, caught in the deafening rush as a train hurtles by.
Unlike Anna who has come to Osaka to learn more about her half-Japanese heritage, Loll seems to have no clear reason for being there and no easily discernible past. And so when she suddenly disappears, there are only the barest of clues as to where she might have gone. But, desperate to find her friend, Anna refuses to give up. Soon she is thrown onto a trail that will take her into the darkest corners of the neon-choked metropolis - hidden, forbidden places from which those who know the city best warn her to stay away.
Details
23 July 2026
9781786584793Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is the exquisitely-written and utterly compelling tale of a young English teacher abroad in Japan, and her struggle to find answers when her friend, a Western nightclub hostess, disappears. Set partly in the exhilarating neon-lit world of Osaka's clubs and bars, Midorikawa's novel captures the intoxication of new friendship, as well as the frightening unknowability of those we are closest to - including the protagonist's Japanese mother, who vanished when she was a child. Interwoven with folklore and insights into contemporary Japan, A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing is a gripping and twisty literary thriller, with a cast of fascinating, enigmatic characters, and great emotional resonance and depth.
A Tiny Speck of Black and then Nothing has the soul of a stylish mystery and the pace of an old-fashioned thriller. Meticulously plotted and beautifully written, it will keep you riveted till its very last page.
Hauntingly beautiful. A captivating, page-turning debut.
A page-turning novel that vividly evokes a dark side of Japan while exploring the uncertainties of youth. I couldn't put it down.
