Mari Akasaka lives in Japan. Winner of the Noma Literature Prize for best new writer in 2000, she is the author of three novels, two collections of short stories, and a book of essays. Her highly acclaimed novel, Vibrator, the first to be published in English translation was made into a film in 2003.

Late one night, Rei Hayakawa, a troubled young freelance journalist, is idling around the alcohol shelves of her local 24-hour convenience store when she catches sight of a man across the way. Suddenly she finds herself embarking on a road journey across the wintry landscape of Japan aboard this stranger's longhaul truck. But can the physical relationship that develops between them offer Rei what she needs, and can she ever free herself from the dangerously self-destructive tendencies that afflict her? Exploring themes of liberation and entrapment, Vibrator drives unflinchingly at the lonely heart of the lost generation.