For the sake of women everywhere, Ms Shibata is going to pull off the mother of all deceptions... 'Incredibly thought-provoking... you'll love Yagi's writing' STYLISTMs Shibata refuses to clear away the coffee at work one day, because she's pregnant and can't bear the smell.

The only thing is . . .

Ms Shibata is not pregnant. Being a mother-to-be isn't easy. Ms Shibata has a nine-month ruse to keep up.

Before long, it becomes all-absorbing, and with the help of towel-stuffed shirts and a diary app that tracks every stage of her 'pregnancy', the boundary between her lie and her life begins to dissolve. Discover this prizewinning, thrillingly subversive new novel that's perfect for fans of Convenience Store Woman and Breasts and Eggs. 'A subversive, surreal read that will strike a cord' RED'One of the most passionate cases I've ever read for female interiority, for women's creative pulse and rich inner life' NEW YORKERTranslated from the Japanese by David Boyd and Lucy North