50 pages 1 hour read

Yoko Tawada, Transl. Margaret Mitsutani

Scattered All Over the Earth

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018

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Chapters 6-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 6 Summary: “Hiruko Speaks (Two)”

Hiruko arrives in Oslo, and after some fuss at the border desk because of her passport, she is allowed in. Once in the city, she asks for directions to Shinise Fuji, the real name of the restaurant she previously called “Nise-Fuji.” When she arrives at the restaurant, no one from the group is there and Tenzo is not around. She asks for a hotel and is pointed to a nearby hostel. After checking into the hostel, she returns to the restaurant and finds Nora. They sit inside, but Hiruko cannot keep up with all Nora has to say about Tenzo and excuses herself to the bathroom. When she returns, Tenzo is there, speaking with Nora. Hiruko introduces herself to Tenzo, and they speak in her native tongue. She notices, however, that he speaks with an accent and like a foreigner.

Nora leaves them to speak and goes to book a room at the hostel. Hiruko asks Tenzo why he speaks differently, implying that he is falsely presenting himself as someone from the “land of sushi.” He admits that he is faking it and that his real name is Nanook.