A collection of short stories, awarded in 2016 with Naoki Sanjugo Prize, revolving around the theme of family. Sounds like a cliché, but the stories here find a perfect harmony between warmth and emotionality and are well thought out and executed. Some – like the titular The Barbershop by the Sea – talk about long-broken relationships and attempts to rebuild them, while others focus on a separation that nothing can fix anymore. Before becoming a writer, Hiroshi Ogiwara worked for many years in an advertising agency, and perhaps that is why he has a knack for putting his stories into well-chosen words.