num_pages: 241
description: The Woman in the Dunes, by celebrated writer and thinker Kobo Abe, combines the essence of myth, suspense and the existential novel. After missing the last bus home following a day trip to the seashore, an amateur entomologist is offered lodging for the night at the bottom of a vast sand pit. But when he attempts to leave the next morning, he quickly discovers that the locals have other plans. Held captive with seemingly no chance of escape, he is tasked with shoveling back the ever-advancing sand dunes that threaten to destroy the village. His only companion is an odd young woman, and together their fates become intertwined as they work side by side through this Sisyphean of tasks.
language: English
title: The Woman in the Dunes
titlecomplete: The Woman in the Dunes
characters: Niki Jumpei
genres: Asia, 20th Century, Japanese Literature, Literary Fiction, Novels, Literature, Japan, Classics, Fiction, Magical Realism
ratings_count: 31224
places: Japan
awards: awardedAt: -94665600000
name: Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
category: Roman, awardedAt: -252432000000
name: Yomiuri Prize 読売文学賞
category: Fiction
publisher: Vintage