My Year of Meats

Out-of-work documentarian Jane Takagi-Little’s career takes an unexpected turn when she agrees to produce My American Wife!, a television program sponsored by BEEF-EX to promote American beef in Japan. The novel follows Jane as she ventures across the U.S. to film picture-perfect wives and their meat-centric meals. Jane becomes disillusioned by the corrupt meat industry and gradually turns from frothy entertainment to investigative journalism. Meanwhile, housewife Akiko Ueno, tries to escape from the harm wrought by her husband, a brutish BEEF-EX advertising executive. Originally released in 1998, Ozeki’s (Timecode of a Face) debut novel still dazzles in this new audio version narrated by the author. Set in the early 1990s, Jane’s year-long venture is a reflection on globalization, women’s roles in society, and the sordid history of the U.S. meat industry. Ozeki’s intimate relationship with her characters is palpable through her careful narration of seemingly meek Akiko juxtaposed with her portrayal of ostensibly confident Jane.