Akiko's Quiet Happiness

Name: Akiko's Quiet Happiness
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: Jan-Philipp Sendker
ISBN: 9798228499041

Author: Jan-Philipp Sendker, Daniel Bowles

Series: Japan Trilogy #1

Narrator: Jennifer Ikeda

Unabridged: 9 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 03/28/2026

Categories: Fiction, Friendship, Women, Coming Of Age

Synopsis

Two lonely former classmates reconnect in Tokyo and unravel a family secret in this touching new novel from the internationally bestselling author of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.Still grieving the death of her mother, 29-year-old Akiko is single and lives in self-imposed isolation in Tokyo. Then one evening, she unexpectedly runs into Kento, her first love from school. Kento now leads a reclusive life as a hikikomori, only venturing out at night.At the same time, Akiko discovers evidence that her mother had been lying to her about their family, causing her to doubt everything. She has to admit to herself that she doesn’t know who she is.With Kento’s help, Akiko embarks on a journey into her own history, which takes her life in surprising directions and leads her to questions she had never dared to ask herself before: How do I want to live? And do I have the courage to love?

About Jan-Philipp Sendker

Jan-Philipp Sendker is a former Asian correspondent for the German magazine Stern. In 2000 he published Cracks in the Wall, a nonfiction book about China. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, his first novel, became an international bestseller, and was followed by two sequels, A Well-Tempered Heart and The Heart Remembers. The trilogy has been translated into forty languages. He lives in Potsdam, Germany.

About Jennifer Ikeda

Jennifer Ikeda has been narrating audiobooks since 2002. Among her readings are When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park; Just Listen by Sarah Dessen; and After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates. She has won six AudioFile Earphones Awards.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Juliekate on May 11, 2025

In meinem Leseeindruck zu der vorgelegten Leseprobe hab ich folgendes geschrieben: "Ein Mensch stirbt, wie er gelebt hat, habe ich einmal gelesen." Ich hab seit einiger Zeit angefangen, mehr mit Zitaten in meinen Leseeindrücken sowie auch in meinen Rezensionen zu arbeiten und als ich zu diesem Satz......more

Goodreads review by Jda on November 04, 2024

Den Begriff Hikikomori kannte ich nicht. Ich bin erschüttert darüber, wie viele Menschen in totaler, Selbstisolation und Einsamkeit leben, weil dies ihre einzige Möglichkeit scheint zu überleben, mit Druck und Reizüberflutung umzugehen.......more

Goodreads review by nilskai on January 02, 2025

Wunderschön. Vielen Dank 🙏......more

Goodreads review by Frida on June 06, 2025

Oj vad jag är kluven i mina tankar kring denna bok. Det var en väldigt sorglig och deprimerande läsning, som tacklar tunga ämnen kring psykisk ohälsa, dödsfall inom familj, svek från närstående, och ensamhet. Så mycket ensamhet. Det är vackra och tankeväckande beskrivningar, men samtidigt så otrolig......more

Goodreads review by Great-O-Khan on November 13, 2025

Vor längerer Zeit habe ich im Radio bei NDR Kultur ein Gespräch mit Jan-Philipp Sendker zu seinem Roman "Akikos stilles Glück" gehört. Ich fand den Autor überaus sympathisch und auch das Buch klang faszinierend. Dennoch wollte ich das Geld für ein gebundenes Buch nicht ausgeben. Unsere Stadtteilbibl......more