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The Soul-Catchers

byNaoko Higashi, Lucy North (Translator)

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A JAPANESE MODERN CLASSIC

Discover the highly original and moving literary gem for fans of Banana Yoshimoto and Kawaguchi's BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD

What if you could come back after death to watch over your loved one, installing yourself in a treasured mug, for example, or perhaps your mother's hearing aid, a diary, or even a climbing frame, to be clambered over by a younger sister you will never meet?

Eleven recently deceased protagonists find themselves floating in the afterlife where a nameless ghost offers them one last chance to spend time with their loved ones.

But not as you would expect.

In a world where souls roam restlessly around after death, unwilling to depart, The Soul Catchers is a soothing, witty, and surprisingly sensual take on the Japanese folk belief that objects can be inhabited by human presences. Equal parts charming, profound, immensely moving, Higashi's powerful classic is an original exploration of our eternal reluctance to let go.

© Naoko Higashi 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

About Naoko Higashi

Naoko Higashi is a multi-award-winning Japanese poet, novelist, children’s writer and screenwriter. She is best known for her work in the Japanese tanka poetry form. Her fictional work includes The House in the Forest of Threads, which won the thirty-first Tsubota Joji Literature Award and was subsequently made into a television drama. The Soul-Catchers was made into a film in 2021. Her most recent work is The Flannel’s Thread. Meet her on Instagram: @Higashinaokoh.
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