Trinity, Trinity, Trinity

Set in Japan preceding the 2020 Olympics, this compelling novel weaves together the past, the present, and a possible future in a panoply of memory, experience, and social unrest. The narrative centers on the relationships among a woman and the mother, sister, and daughter with whom she shares an apartment. The direct, engaging writing pulls the reader into the plight of the main character, who’s disturbed by a recent trend involving older adults, seeming victims of dementia, who have taken to collecting radioactive objects, speaking to black stones, and listening to disembodied messages. This phenomenon is known as Trinity. In examining the Trinity disease, the author deftly combines the history of nuclear radiation and nuclear disasters (particularly the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster) with the history of the Olympic games to construct a backdrop to looming social crisis. As the protagonist finds out more about her mother and her mother’s seeming involvement with Trinity, the mother also makes discoveries in her personal life. Interestingly, lace and the nature of its looping construction forms a metaphor for the threads of interrelationship throughout.