Beautiful Star

Witty and satirical, this cosmological fable from the great Japanese author finds an extra-terrestrial family living in 1960s Japan desperately trying to save humanity from the folly of nuclear war. The Osugi family have come to a realization. Each of them hails from a different planet. Father from Mars, mother from Jupiter, son from Mercury and daughter from Venus. Already seen as oddballs in their small Japanese town in the 1960s, this extra-terrestrial knowledge brings them closer together they climb mountains to wait for UFOs, study at home together and regard their human neighbours with a kindly benevolence. But Father, Juichiro, is worried about the bomb. He writes letters to Khrushchev, trying to warn everyone he can of the terrible threat. After all, humans may be terribly flawed, but aren't they worth saving? He sends out a coded message in the newspaper to find other aliens. But there are other extra-terrestrials out there, ones who do not look so kindly on the flaws and foibles of humans. And a charming young man, who claims to be from Venus too, tempts daughter Akiko away from the family... MEDIA REVIEWS Mishima is the Japanese Hemingway - Life Magazine Strikingly different... Stephen Dodd's translation captures Mishima's dark humour, succinct style and dry wit - Vanora Bennett, The Times Literary Supplement A brilliant black comedy following the Osugi family, who come to the understanding that they are each from a different planet. This new knowledge strengthens their bond while solidifying a mission: to seek others of their kind and save humanity from the looming threat of the atomic bomb. This is an insightful, moving read. Mishima deserves a wider readership - Irenosen Okojie, The i Set in the early 1960s, this bonkers story of aliens trying to save mankind from nuclear war is told from th