File:Emily by Novala Takemoto.jpg

English: A lonely high school girl finds nowhere she feels at ease, so every day she visits a famous shopping mall in downtown Tokyo, wearing the only clothes she can relate to, Emily Temple cute, a Lolita designer’s brand. After school she hangs out in front of the Emily Temple cute shop, identifying herself with that brand. Then she meets another lonely soul, clad in another designer’s brand. But this turns out not just to be an ordinary boy-meets-girl relationship. Both kids have their own miseries. They might look like quintessential Japanese Otaku nerds, but they’re only too human. Their awkward friendship builds as they each suffer from bullying and harassment, as well as worry about their futures.

A very contemporary fable, told in the spirit of the Victorian novels and fashion that embody the Lolita lifestyle, “Emily” was a finalist for the annual Yukio Mishima Prize, a literary award in Japan.

The collection includes two more stories, “Corset” and “Readymade,” introducing you to the apparently strange world of outsiders today. Through the magical storytelling of Novala Takemoto, tragedy ends in happiness and optimism. This volume is the most favorite title of the author’s devoted readers in Japan, and when you read it, you’ll surely relate to the geek aspect of contemporary culture.