The Translator

May 13, 2013
Schuyler returns to Japan in her second novel about relationships, art, and the intersection between the two (after The Painting). Literary translator Hanne Schubert has just finished perhaps her largest project yet—the English translation of a well-known Japanese author’s latest book, Trojan Horse Trips. Fluent in seven languages, Schubert thinks this could be her big break, allowing her to translate full-time. But a fall down a flight of stairs leaves her with a puzzling affliction—the loss of all of her languages except Japanese. Unable to converse with people in English or German, her two mother tongues, Schubert accepts a speaking gig in Japan, where she meets drunken, angry Kobayashi, who accuses her of ruining his novel with her translation. Devastated, Schubert sets off to find the Japanese stage actor on whom Kobayashi based his protagonist, determined to prove her translation accurate. But her journey begins to reveal truths about her past and the insidious ways in which it has wound its way into her day job. Solid prose and intriguing characters drive this complex tale of love, loss, and forgiveness. Agent: Mollie Glick, Foundry Literary + Media.