Stand-In Companion

‘Kazufumi Shiraishi is a unique writer. You can survey the contemporary literary scene in Japan, but I doubt you will readily find any author comparable to him.’ The Mainichi Shimbun 

‘Shiraishi adroitly spins his philosophical tale: he tells a good story well — complete with a satisfying further twist.’ The Complete Review  

‘Stand-in Companion is a really compelling and cleverly constructed story that echoes the writings of Yoko Tadawa and Tomoyuki Hoshino, a great introduction to the Red Circle Minis series, very much worth tracking down a copy.’ Lines from the Horizon 

‘Androids, infertility and ethics collide in Kazufumi Shiraishi’s dystopian Stand-in Companion.' The Japan Times 

‘The thought of new ethics and morals set in the future world dominated by technology is as intriguing as this novella with tightly packed surprises. One of the Red Circle Minis, Stand-in Companion is a meditative exploration on human love and relation set in the future world.’ World Translations Review 

‘Kazufumi Shiraishi is an ingenious author who writes with real flair and insight. In this compelling story he seamlessly blends the universal themes of love, loss and rivalry into a future world driven by cutting-edge technology and AI. This is a love story with a difference; one that will resonate with the reader in a thoroughly thought-provoking manner.’  Alex Pearl, author of Sleeping with the Blackbirds 

‘Kazufumi Shiraishi explores concepts of love, identity and place and the “why” of human existence.’  RT

‘Exceptionally well done...It’s the most satisfying novel I’ve read in quite some time.’ The Complete Review commenting on The Part of Me That Isn’t Broken Inside by Kazufumi Shiraishi