Scattered All Over the Earth by Yōko Tawada takes place in a world where Japan has disappeared as a result of a climate disaster (but it is not exactly clear what happened) and Japanese people who have been in other countries at the time must come to terms with the new reality. They cannot return to their homeland, despite the fact that their culture is still somehow present internationally: you can still eat sushi (although some believe it comes from Finland) or watch anime.
Knut, a linguistics student, who is deeply fascinated by languages, sees Hiruko, a woman from the lost archipelago, on TV. Together they set off on a journey through Europe, trying to find other people from Hiruko’s homeland. Along the way, they meet a more people from different countries; their stories and points of view intertwine, creating an intriguing web of personal tales against the backdrop of a chaotic, uncertain world. Even though the book is classified as a dystopian tale, it is neither depressing nor pessimistic.
Scattered All Over the Earth has no definitive end – it’s the first installment in a planned trilogy, so the further parts may clear up some of the questions left unanswered here. But even as a standalone novel, it is an extremely intriguing story, as well as a tribute to the power of languages and linguistics.
