Best Books of the Decade: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, 2009 (US)
I met Junot Díaz at a reading at my college a few months ago and we got to chatting about books and he said that this was the book he most recommended at the moment. He said to ignore the sort of cheesy title and just read it because it was great. Of course, he was right. The professor of the title has suffered injuries in a car accident where he can’t remember anything new for more than 80 minutes, so he is stuck in a specific time, 1975 to be exact. The story explores the relationship between the professor and his new housekeeper who has a young son that the professor becomes attached to. The things that happen are subtle but beautiful.
