Territory of Light

Territory of Light (1978) is a contemporary novella by Yuko Tsushima, the pen name of Satoko Tsushima. Nominated for the 2019 Kirkus Prize, Territory of Light follows a woman building a new life for herself and her young daughter after her husband abandons them. Critics praise the book for exploring the challenges faced by Japan’s single mothers, and for its emotive, unusual narrative style. A contemporary Japanese novelist, critic, and essayist, Tsushima is known as one of the most significant Japanese writers of her generation, and her work is available in over 12 languages. Territory of Light was inspired by her own experiences as a single mother.

The book takes place in 1970s Tokyo, Japan. The narrator, a nameless woman, is looking for a new apartment with her three-year-old daughter. The woman’s husband recently left her without explanation, and now she must support them both on a limited salary. Territory of Light follows the woman as she navigates her first year as a single mother in a patriarchal society, exposing Japan’s chronic lack of support for abandoned women.

In 1970s Japan, divorce is rare. Women like the narrator are shunned by a society that blames them for not giving their husbands a happy, fulfilling home. No one cares why the narrator’s husband left her—only that she failed as a wife. Now, everyone expects the narrator to focus solely on raising her daughter because it will be impossible for her to find a respectable man to marry again.



As the book begins, the narrator finds a job at a local radio station. She knows that if she loses this job, she won’t be able to support her daughter properly. Struggling with the demands of motherhood and full-time employment, she drinks heavily, and she sometimes oversleeps. She knows that she is drowning and that she needs help, but she does not have anyone to turn to.

The narrator doesn’t know how to connect with her daughter. Caught up in her own pain and fear, she forgets how badly her daughter needs her. One day, they go for a stroll together in the park, and she slaps her daughter for misbehaving. The girl runs away, and the narrator finally tracks her down in a remote corner of the park. They’re both surrounded by light, and for a moment, the narrator thinks that everything will be okay.

Soon after this incident, however, local women confront the narrator, harassing her for neglecting her daughter and for being a terrible wife. She returns home humiliated, with only her young daughter to comfort her. Her daughter reassures her that she is a good mother and that she loves her very much. For the first time, feeling that she is the child, the narrator realizes that she must pull herself together to build a better life for them both.



Meanwhile, the narrator is surrounded by symbols of doom and foreboding. Meeting her husband’s old professor, he warns her that women can’t survive on their own. Watching old haggard women wandering the streets, she is convinced that they are alone in the world. She worries that she will look like them someday, and she doesn’t know what to do about it. To make herself feel better, she has a one-night stand, but the humiliation and desperation just make her feel worse.

As the weeks go by, life doesn’t get easier. Witnessing multiple funeral processions, the narrator feels that she will die soon if she doesn’t rebuild her life. She hears about a young girl who recently committed arson, everyone blaming the mother for neglect. Finally, she learns that a local child died recently; again, everyone blames the mother.

Surrounded by signs that she can’t do this on her own, the narrator’s mental health deteriorates by the day. Her daughter, however, handles the situation better. She makes friends at preschool, and she adjusts to life with an absent father. On those nights when her daughter sleeps over at a friend’s house, the narrator turns to alcohol and feels miserable.



In the meantime, the narrator’s husband stalks her around the city. He wants her back, but the narrator refuses to have him. She urges him to formally sign the divorce papers so they can both move on with their lives. The narrator feels suspended in time, and only by formally divorcing her husband can she move forward.

Finally, the narrator’s husband signs the divorce papers. She leaves the apartment she has been sharing with her daughter, and they move to a smaller apartment barely big enough for them both. It is the best the narrator can afford, determined to raise her daughter on her own. For the first time in many months, the narrator feels she will make it. She vows to show the locals that divorce is not a death sentence for a woman; that it is possible for single Japanese women to live happy, fulfilling lives.