The Japanese term "hikikomori" refers to someone who has shut himself off after a tragedy. In this debut novel, the hikikomori is a Manhattanite named Thomas who has secluded himself from the world – including his wife – due to grief over the death of his son. In an effort to help him, his wife hires a "rental sister," a Japanese woman who serves as a combination life coach and sounding board – and eventually also a lover. Nelson describes this as a "beautiful, heartbreaking" story about "a cultural custom that was new to us."
