diary of a void by emi yagi
Yagi takes us inside the skin of our main character, Shibata. Being the only woman in her workplace, she was expected to do all the menial tasks such as getting coffee for everyone in their office. Initially as an experiment, Shibata announces that sheâs pregnant. Only she isnât. She discovers that this ruse leads to drastic changes in her personal and professional life. Soon enough, the line between her lies and reality begins to blur.
I personally think this book is meant to be read without questioning the main characterâs lies â more specifically how she managed to pull them off â because otherwise, youâll end up with never-ending questions, and thatâs not the bookâs point.
Pregnancy and motherhood are obviously the two major themes here, despite Shibata not being pregnant at all. It gives light on the hardship that women experience during and even after giving birth â both the physical and the mental labor of it. As Shibataâs lies go on, she notices an amelioration in her lifestyle and the way she is being treated at work. This demonstrates the unequal treatment women are subjected to, which only changes when they are deemed to be fulfilling their âjobâ by bearing a child for their husband.
I know women are the only ones who can give birth, but once the babyâs born, why the hell should our roles be so different?
The inequality continues even after childbirth. It is considered by default a womanâs job to take care of the baby, while the husband goes to work. The babyâs needs, accompanied by the responsibility of doing the domestic chores, all fall under the wifeâs burden. And when a man provides aid, he is praised for âhelpingâ, as if it wasnât part of his duties at all. This has been thoroughly discussed by Shibata and her pregnant friend, which uncovers the harsh realities of motherhood and marriage.
In all honesty, I did not find Shibataâs character very likable. Her lies, her rather poor treatment of her coworker, and some of her slightly violent thoughts donât exactly paint her as a good person. Her bluntness, isolation, and loneliness were relatable, though. The ending couldâve taken a different direction that would personally be more satisfying, but overall itâs a calm and interesting read.
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Translated by: David Boyd, Lucy North
Genres: Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Asian Literature
Trigger Warnings: pregnancy, sexism, misogyny, miscarriage, infertility, alcohol
This piece was originally posted on WordPress on April 14, 2023 and migrated to BearBlog on March 19, 2026.