Book Review: People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice: Stories by Ao Omae (translated by Emily Balistrieri)

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice: Stories by Ao Omae (translated by Emily Balistrieri) comprises an interesting collection of short stories that touch upon themes of friendship, gender politics and stereotypes, feminism, isolation and loneliness and mental and emotional well-being.

In the first story “Realizing the Fun Things Through Water”(3.5/5) we meet Hatsuoka who receives a case of “hyper-organization water” from her soon to be mother–in–law who tells her to talk to it, sharing happy thoughts to increase its potency. Hatsuoka is conflicted over her impending marriage, unsure of what she wants while also dealing with the pain of the loss of her sister who had been missing for almost two years. As she waits for her sister to return to the house they shared, she anxiously contemplates the upcoming changes in her life. The second in this collection is the novella “People Who Talk to Stuffed Animals Are Nice” (3.5/5) revolves around university students Nanamori, Mugito, Shiraki and others who are members of a Plushie Club whose purpose is to give its member the space to talk to stuffed animals for emotional support. The author tackles sensitive issues such as gender identity stereotypes, misogyny and mental health with sensitivity and compassion in this story. But the narrative seems a tad long and could have been more compact. In “Bath Towel Footage” (2.5/5) a woman sees an unpleasant side to her boyfriend while attending a comedy show, making her question her compatibility with him. The final story, “Hello, Thank You, I’m Okay” (3/5) revolves around Marumi and her family and how they each interact with her shut-in brother and how they cope with his decision to have a birthday party with his invisible friends and the aftermath.

Needless to say, the title of this book and that cover grabbed my attention. The tone of these thought-provoking stories is predominantly melancholic and emotionally charged. At times I found it difficult to connect with the characters and found the narrative in a few of the stories a tad disjointed, lacking in cohesiveness, though that might have been deliberate in keeping with the character’s state of mind. (Given that I read a translation of the original, I feel that perhaps fine-tuning the translation and/or the editing might have made a difference.) I did have a problem with the length of these stories. While the novella could have been more compact, the final two stories did not allow us to explore the characters well enough. Overall, while I did appreciate the concept and themes that are explored in these stories, the execution left a bit to be desired.

Many thanks to author Ao Omae, publisher HarperVia and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on June 06, 2023.