The title of the book "Surveillance" tells the story of a plainclothes policeman who monitors his past lover in order to arrest a suspect. During the long and boring surveillance, he glimpses how an ordinary housewife can glow in an instant, like a girl who has fallen in love...
The stories in the collection of novels are all set in urban Japan during the Showa era. The protagonists range from rising starlets, frustrated journalists, ordinary housewives, newspaper operators, owners of small printing plants to independent professional women and university professors. The themes cover many industries such as the workplace, academia, film and television circles, and the press. The author uses meticulous and steady writing to penetrate into the contradictions of all walks of life in modern Japanese society, showing the various aspects of human nature. The fascinating reasoning style gives this narrative a certain warmth, presenting a three-dimensional and rich urban landscape.
