What to Read Next: Women in Translation Month

Disconcerting and impossible to look away from, one of Japan’s most prestigious writers gives us a collection of stories ranging from the mundane to the downright eerie and unsettling.

Translated from the original Japanese by Lucy North.

A taut and concise work of fiction, Shibli strikes a balance of saying exactly what needs to be said to advance the plot while perfectly placing just the right amount of space so the reader can absorb the gravity of the story.

Translated from the original Arabic by Elisabeth Jaquette.

A defining work in the life of one of Italy’s most reputable authors, Lies and Sorcery by Elsa Morante is a multigenerational tale of life, love and womanhood set on the shores of Sicily. This is the very novelist who inspired the works of Elena Ferrante.

Translated from the original Italian by Jenny McPhee

A young woman gets swept up in the life of a cartoonist that comes into town and rooms in the guesthouse she runs with her mother. Alienation, identity and the persistently looming political conflict make this picturesque seaside inn feel distinctly off-kilter.

Translated from the original French by Aneesa Abbas Higgins.

I Who Have Never Known Men is a post-apocalyptic novel that has cemented itself as a classic of feminist literature. See the desolate world through the eyes of a young woman’s journey through entrapment and survival.

Translated from the original French by Ross Schwartz.

Critically acclaimed, award-winning author Olga Tokarczuk delivers a chilling story of a facility for tuberculosis patients — along with existential questions that are just as unnerving. This is a new parable that speaks to our times, like Blindness by Jose Samarago.

Translated from the original Polish by Antonia Lloyd-Jones.

Narrated by a ghost, this unusual narrative written in a haunting and poetic voice is a fresh, subtly political take on class and memory, family and trauma. It’s all about the importance of human connection and the unending search for it. It may be short, but it packs an impactful dollop of meaning in its sparse pages.

Translated from the original Japanese by Morgan Giles.

Will you come to my funeral? Erpenbeck’s story of a long-running love affair (winner of the International Booker Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award for Translated Literature) appeals to readers of Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux (A Simple Passion, The Years) and Claire Messud’s latest, This Strange Eventful History.

Translated from the original German by Michael Hofmann.

Who are we without passionate love, and do we need heartbreak to truly know ourselves? If Only chronicles one woman’s questions of life, love and existence during a torrid love affair.

Translated from the original Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund.

A haunting story of a broken family, Mariana Enriquez takes us to militarized Argentina to tell a terrifying tale of overcoming generational trauma in the form of an immortality-seeking bloodthirsty cult.

Translated from the original Spanish by Megan McDowell.

Combining a distinct, offbeat literary style with a propulsive premise, Butter is perfect for fans of Killing Eve or Silence of the Lambs.

Translated from the original Japanese by Polly Barton.

Prepare to be disturbed to your core by the sickening dystopia in which our characters are trapped and the depths of depravity they’ll reach.

Translated from the original Spanish by Sarah Moses.