Audiobooks narrated by Yuriri Naka

The Soul Catchers: The Japanese magical realism modern classic, perfect for fans of Before The Coffee Gets Cold

"Brought to you by Penguin. 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"

Naoko Higashi (Author), Sadao Ueda, Yuriri Naka (Narrator)

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Notes from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop: The bestselling Japanese sensation for cosy fiction lovers

"A touching tale of connection, healing and the magic of handwritten words from the author of Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop Hidden away in Tokyo's Ginza district lies Shihodo, a hidden gem known only to insiders, with an abundant selection of fine stationery. Behind its counter stands Ken Takarada, the enigmatic shop owner whose warm presence draws those seeking more than just beautiful paper and colourful inks. To this shop come more customers with worries weighing on their hearts: a young girl being bullied by her classmates, a salary man facing the lonely prospect of retirement. With his quiet wisdom and careful attention, Ken Takarada helps each visitor fulfil their stationery needs, but also to express what lies within their hearts. In this moving second volume, listeners will see how the simple act of putting pen to paper can unlock healing, connection and understanding. Also learn about how Ken and Ryoko - from the neighbouring café Hohozue - met for the first time."

Kenji Ueda (Author), Kenichiro Thomson, Yuriri Naka (Narrator)

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The Healing Hippo Of Hinode Park: From the multi-million-copy bestselling author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY

"Brought to you Penguin. ‘Kabahiko is an amazing hippo. People say that if you touch the area of his body that you want to make better on yours, he’ll provide a cure' Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community. Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko: -Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored; - Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant; - Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others; - Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain. - despite Kazuhiko's fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life's everyday wonders. A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart. © Michiko Aoyama 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Michiko Aoyama (Author), Ami Okumura Jones, Kenichiro Thomson, Naruto Komatsu, Susan Momoko Hingley, Yuriri Naka (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hunchback: Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025

"Brought to you by Penguin Longlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025 ‘Without mud, the lotus could not survive.’ Born with a congenital muscle disorder, Shaka Isawa has severe spine curvature and uses an electric wheelchair and ventilator. Within the limits of her care home, her life is lived online: she studies, she tweets indignantly, she posts outrageous stories on an erotica website. One day, a new male carer reveals he has read it all – the sex, the provocation, the dirt. Her response? An indecent proposal… Written by the first disabled author to win Japan’s most prestigious literary award and acclaimed instantly as one of the most important Japanese novels of the 21st century, Hunchback is an extraordinary, thrilling glimpse into the desire and darkness of a woman placed at humanity’s edge. ‘Filled with unforgettable insight’ Sakaya Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman © Saou Ichikawa 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025"

Saou Ichikawa (Author), Yuriri Naka (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Punkhawala and the Prostitute

"Behind the golden façade of a land filled with opportunities dwell two destitute souls, shipped to Singapore in the late 1800s. Oseki, an ingenue forced into prostitution as a karayuki, grapples with being betrayed by her own father and transforms into a monster she can’t recognise. Gobind, a deaf convict from India, serves his sentence as a punkhawala to a British hunter obsessed with killing Rimau Satan, a man-eating tiger of mythic proportions. Whenever Gobind hunts with his master, his butchered memories lurk in the darkness, aching to pounce. When Oseki’s and Gobind’s paths intertwine, they begin to face their inner demons to find their humanity—and their way back home. © 2021 by Wesley Leon Aroozoo. Published in paper format in Singapore by Epigram Books, recorded by Storyside 2022."

Wesley Leon Aroozoo (Author), Homer Todiwala, Yuriri Naka (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Phone Box at the Edge of the World: The moving, unforgettable, Japanese-set international bestseller - inspired by true events

"'Absolutely breathtaking' Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo. We all have something to tell those we have lost . . . On a windy hill in Japan, in a garden overlooking the sea stands a disused phone box. For years, people have travelled to visit the phone box, to pick up the receiver and speak into the wind: to pass their messages to loved ones no longer with us. When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she is plunged into despair and wonders how she will ever carry on. One day she hears of the phone box, and decides to make her own pilgrimage there, to speak once more to the people she loved the most. But when you have lost everything, the right words can be the hardest thing to find . . . Then she meets Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss. What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking... The Phone Box at the Edge of the World is an unforgettable story of the depths of grief, the lightness of love and the human longing to keep the people who are no longer with us close to our hearts. Everyone is talking about The Phone Box at the Edge of the World 'A moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief and the small miraculous moments that persuade people to start looking forward again' Sunday Times 'Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour' Choice, Book of the Month 'A poignant, atmospheric novel dealing with love, coming to terms with loss and the restoration of one's self' Daily Mail 'A story about the dogged survival of hope when all else is lost . . . A striking haiku of the human heart' The Times 'Beautiful. A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving' Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times bestselling author of After the End 'Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul' Stacey Halls, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Familiars 'Mesmerising . . . beautiful . . . a joy to read' Joanna Glen, Costa shortlisted author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope 'Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast expansive meditation on grieving and loss' Heat 'A perfect poignant read' Woman & Home"

Laura Imai Imai Messina (Author), Yuriri Naka (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks Narrated by Yuriri Naka

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