2026 Foreign fiction category

November 2025 to April 2026

The "Translated Novels" category was a vote for the best novel that was translated into Japan this year (including new translations). First place went to All the Blue in the Sky by Mélissa Da Costa（author）and Tomoko Yamamoto(translator), published by Kodansha Ltd.

1st

All the Blue in the Sky

written by Mélissa Da Costa

translation by Tomoko Yamamoto

Kodansha Ltd.

Destiny is already written.
And so, Émile decided to set out on a journey.

"26-year-old male, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Seeking a companion for one last journey." To escape the sterile walls of the hospital and the suffocating pity of those around him, Émile chooses the open road. With two years left to live at most, he posts an ad on a message board. A reply arrives: "Meet me at Exit 3 of the highway. I’ll be wearing a wide-brimmed black hat, gold sandals, and a red backpack. How does that sound?"

The person who appears is a petite young woman named Joanne. She reveals nothing about herself. Together, they board a camper van and head toward the Pyrenees. It was the beginning of a journey more stunningly beautiful than either could have imagined.

A sweeping, deeply moving epic of life, love, and the joy of being alive, captured with a breathtakingly fresh touch.

To be honest, when I first picked up the book, I was put off by how thick the two volumes were. I thought, “This is just too long.” But now, I’m grateful for its length. It didn’t feel like the length of a story—it felt like the length of a life.
When we sense that our life may be coming to an end, how do we choose to spend the time we have left? If one day I fall ill in the years ahead, I think I will remember reading this book.

Emil, who is losing his memory and his life to early-onset Alzheimer’s, travels with Joanne, who carries a painful past. As I read, their journey felt both short and endless at the same time. I could clearly picture the beautiful mountains and villages of France, even though I have never been there.
The people they meet along the way help them and leave them with precious memories. All of this is deeply held within Emil, even as he fades, and Joanne carries it forward into the future despite her sadness.
I was especially moved when Joanne wrote in a letter to her father that she had found a partner for the journey, and also by what she did for Emil at the very end.

2nd

The Housemaid

written by Freida McFadden

translated by Tomoko Takahashi

Hayakawa Publishing Corporation

Millie, a woman with a criminal record, lands a job as a housemaid in Winchesters’ beautiful house. But something feels off about this family. The wife, Nina, makes baffling remarks and behaves strangely, while their daughter, Cecilia, is insolent. How does the husband, Andrew, manage to keep this marriage going? Millie is given an attic room and settles in. But this room holds... And when the truth about the family is revealed, everything you have seen takes on a different meaning.

A shocking suspense novel that will make you want to tell someone about it as soon as you finish!
Millie, who has a criminal record, finally gets a job as a housemaid. From the outside, the family looks rich and happy—but something is not right…
Part One is filled with breathless tension. Part Two hits you with a shocking twist. And in Part Three, things spiral into unstoppable terror. By the time I reached the epilogue, I had chills.
With its gripping pace that never lets you go and a conclusion far beyond expectations, it is simply outstanding.

If you enjoy watching foreign dramas but have never read a foreign mystery, this is the perfect book for you.
There are only five main characters, so you never get confused about who is who.
It’s an entertaining story with mystery, suspense, and romance all coming together, and the more the story moves, the faster you’ll turn the pages.
It also has a fun, satisfying feeling that lets you simply enjoy reading.
As a first step into foreign mysteries, this book will open up a whole new world of reading for you.

3rd

James

written by Percival Everett

translated by Yoshihiko Kihara

Kawade Shobo Shinsha Publishers inc.

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he flees to nearby Jackson’s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town.

So begins a dangerous and transcendent journey along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. And together, the unlikely pair embark on the most life-changing odyssey of them all . . .

James lives while hiding his intelligence.
From the start, I was surprised by how much the world changes just by changing the point of view, and I was quickly drawn into the story.
The cruelty of slavery is not told as a lesson but shown through the strong power of the story itself, which made it feel even more painful.
With only a pencil and a book, James never gives up reading and writing. His attitude shows the quiet dignity of living as a human being, and it made me realize that the freedom to read and write is not something we can take for granted.
Even though it is a hard story of escape, the translation is full of humor and makes the story even more enjoyable. And that final line that holds everything together—it is truly powerful.
Among recent international novels, this is one I strongly recommend.

I sometimes laughed, and sometimes felt deeply moved by the way James sees the world with humor.
The escape along the river slowly becomes a story about life itself. It makes us think about human nature and dignity, and speaks to us in a powerful way.
Like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I believe James will be read for many years and will stay in people’s hearts.

2025

2026
2025