Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

 When I´ve started reading Katie Kitamura´s books, I knew I will return to this writer. 

Intimacies is set in the Hague and the unnamed women character is, like in A Separation, a translator, this time a translator at the Criminal Court in Hague. As an interpreter/translator myself, I recognized the intimacies and distances we are experiencing through and about words. The protagonist is observing and connecting, projecting intimate information she had access to, without judging, just allowing herself the benefit of the moment.

There are the intimacies of people we don´t know, but also other people intimating our thoughts. The private turns public, common knowledge. 

There is no plot in Intimacies, as not all books should follow a plot. It feels claustrophobic sometimes, as we are living in the mind of the main character, we are obsessivelly following her, we intimate her thoughts and life, her lows and insecurities. There is also something deeply impressionistic about this novel, as in the art movement. 

The chiselled prose and thoughtful reflections are extraordinary and would clearly read Audition as soon as possible.

Kitamura, whose book Audition was shortlisted for 2025 Booker is the chair of the jury of the 2027 Booker Prize - rebranded as The Bukhman International Booker Prize.

Rating: 4.5 stars