I actually love flash fiction but this could have done with being split into two collections instead of one. I often found it boring and exhausting to read, even though I would normally read a book or collection of this length in less than two days, this took me almost a week.
Some were really intriguing but I doubt I’ll remember them by tomorrow.

The Android whose Name was Boy 3.5/5
This was a good allegory around perception and expectation I thought.

Bond 1/5
…what

Starry Night 1/5
Shrug. Too vague for me

English Composition no. 1 2/5
…is that a power suit?

I Hate the Girls That You Like 1/5
#NLOG
(Why an Afro wig?)

Money 2/5
Interesting idea

You are Not What You Eat 3/5
Oh, no that’s not…

My Secret Thrill 4/5
You know what, I get it. The usual

God Must be Stupid 1/5
I don’t have a problem with cats I just found this boring

Thoughts on Balthus’s The Street
I dunno if this was meant to be blank but in the version I got on my kindle, it was just a title.

The National Anthem Gets it Bad 3/5
I wouldn’t sing it either tbh x

The Sky Blue Hand 2/5
Meh

The Precious Opportunity 4/5
I personally am not a lid licker so I found this somewhat enthralling.

The Woman Dies 3/5
This started off interesting and then lost my interest in the second half. Not a bad story I just preferred the first half.

How to Transform from a Punk into a Girl-Next-Door 2/5
Shrug

How to Transform from a Girl-Next-Door to a Bad Girl 2/5
Shrug

Victoria’s Secret 3.5/5
#NLOG but literally. Also I think we can all agree that The Beast was much better looking pre transformation.

The Year of No Wildflowers 1/5
I strongly dislike second person narratives. On top of that, this was boring.

Murder in the Cat Cafe 2/5
…wut

Toshiba Mellow #2018 3/5
Decent. Interesting enough concept

The Purest Woman in the Kingdom 5/5
The last sentence took me out 😂

English Composition no 2 1/5
This has the same structure as a number of these other stories just with some words switched out.

Dear Doctor Spencer Reid 1/5
Shrugs.

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates 2/5
Eh.

Braids 3/5
This was ok

Messing Up the National Anthem
I dunno where this story was in my copy but it wasn’t after ‘Braids’

Dissecting Misogyny 3/5
Yeah this was aiite. Interesting concep.

Cage in a Cage 2/5
Ok

English Composition no 3 1/5
I don’t like these ones

The Masculine Touch 4/5
Ok yeah this one made me chuckle a few times. Really makes you realise how ridiculous this behaviour is

Gaban I 1/5
I don’t get it x

Gaban II 1/5
I still don’t get it x

To You, Sleeping in an Armory 2/5
Shrugs

C.V. 3/5
This was aiite. A bit paint by numbers in its point making.

Baseball Player Soup 3/5
Another ok one

Curtain of Celebration 2/5
Meh

Remembering Technology 3/5
Kind of interesting though another paint by numbers receptive style of writing.

Bird Strike! 1/5
Looking forward to this collection being over

The National Anthem Goes to New York 1/5
The national anthem is getting a lot of airtime in this book

Flora 2/5
Ok

Twenty First Century Tinkerbell 2/5
I don’t get it.

The Start of the Weekend 3/5
I can’t count so I just nodded through this

Reflection 1/5
Dunno what you want me to say tbh

When the Girl Broke up With her Boyfriend 2/5
I’m bored of this style. There are so many stories in here that follow this same template.

A Father and His Back 3/5
I probably would have liked this more if it was earlier in the collection.

Youth and Sadness 3/5
This one had a nice melancholy to it.

Bette Davis 3/5
Weird and I’m here for it

The Lip Balm Lake 3/5
Simple but I get it.

The Death of Context 3/5
Also simple but I get it

A Magic Spell 2/5
Ok then

Aoko Matsuda’s One Line Commentaries
I actually love this section. It gives some nice context to the stories. I wish it was at the start of the book instead of the end.

First published in 2019, Aoko Matsuda’s collection is inventive and thought-provoking, sometimes subversive, sometimes deliberately playful, now and then almost wilfully self-indulgent. There are over fifty stories here which may sound daunting – her book’s definitely one for dipping into rather than reading through from cover to cover. However, a number of these pieces are palm-of-the-hand (tenohira no shōsetsu), variations on the miniature form made famous by Yasunari Kawabata - with a similar emphasis on atmosphere or provoking an emotional reaction. Although entries like “The Android Whose Name Was Boy” Matsuda’s amusing take on masculinity and destiny reminded me more of Shin’ichi Hoshi’s ultra-compressed SF.

Like Where the Wild Ladies Are many of Matsuda’s stories combine irony with absurdist elements as in “Bond” where a group of so-called ‘Bond girls’ gather together to rate the secret agent’s sexual abilities. Matsuda often draws directly on personal preoccupations, things she finds arresting or unexpectedly fascinating – she’s included a brief overview of the influences and inspirations behind most of the stories. References to film, art and popular culture are plentiful: “Dissecting Misogyny” is informed by Big Boo in Orange is the New Black; a series of pieces dealing with girlhood, fandom and desire are connected by a shared focus on Criminal Minds’ Dr Spencer Reid; others like the uncanny, fable-like “Starry Night,” build on Matsuda’s own responses to specific artworks.

Matsuda blends the outwardly intimate with broader social and cultural commentary. Misogyny and gender-related constrictions continue to be pressing concerns. Matsuda’s award-winning title story is a stirring exploration of the stereotypes and narratives which both frame and limit women’s experiences; while “The Masculine Touch” is a striking, satirical exploration of the positioning of women writers. Capitalism and the relationship between individuals and the world of things are also key issues for Matsuda: identity and promotional culture loom large in the slightly surreal “The Precious Touch” in which a woman’s exposed to unnerving messages concealed inside yoghurt pots; “The Lip Balm Lake” is an unusual look at how consumption punctuates everyday life. I especially enjoyed “Hawai’i,” told from the perspective of a woman’s discarded possessions it’s a marvellous send-up of Marie Kondo’s concept of only keeping objects that spark joy. Matsuda’s general approach is deceptively simple, her distinctive brand of fiction’s carefully crafted yet frequently feels immediate and spontaneous. I love her willingness to experiment; and I’m impressed by her ability to tackle weighty subjects yet render them accessible and entertaining. Translated by Polly Barton.

Did not finish book. Stopped at 12%.
I only got through three of the vignettes before deciding I couldn’t continue. I may try to come back to this in the future, as it proves to be a quick read, but I currently cannot find enjoyment in the short stories I’ve read. While the stories are somewhat thought-provoking, the surrealism and apparent lack of direction prevented me from wanting to continue. I’m sure there’s a deeper satire to be found in these pages, but as I felt rather bored, I don’t plan to seek it out anytime soon.

As it stands, I’d probably give this a 1.5 star rating, if only for the hope that there would be something more compelling to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating (currently): 1.5 stars

Review posted to StoryGraph: July 27, 2025 (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9e0ca0a5-2a11-4691-b83d-a68cc8f68844)

Matsuda

I really loved this, hard hitting with gut wrenching honesty & really funny as well! These small slices of life, vignettes of fantasy, snippets of surrealist realities, anxiety daydreams & feminist connections take you into the abyss and to the moon while crying laughing.

From Immortal Cats to Princes, bodily functions, gender liberation and a yoghurt pot lid that wont let me forget it.

This book made me feel free and seen; with all the darkness & weird things everyone goes through we're all just trying to find some understanding and be understood and Aoko Matsuda makes you feel a little less lonely and more stable on this uneven earth.

Now to find & read everything else she's written!

Thanks to netgalley & europa editions for the eARC

What a fabulous read! I was loving the change in themes from ‘The Masculine Touch’ (imagine this was a reality…) the Bond Girls get together and the sweater that hadn’t been worn for 3 years and got to choose its paradise. The variety was vast.

It was so good. I loved the imagination and at the back of the book the author explains how she came up with each of the stories.

Brilliant short stories that will expand the realms of your imagination.

This would be perfect for someone who reads infrequently and loves intresting and twisted stories! I thought it was great that at the end the author put when they wrote each story as it gave context! I rarely see this and have us a good insight

The Woman Dies, by Aoko Matsuda and translated by Polly Barton, is a collection of short stories and microfiction that will both entertain you while giving you something to think about.

The book descriptions I have seen mention the feminist angle or the social critique of Japanese culture specifically. They aren't wrong but that is far too narrow of a description. These stories speak to society and culture around the globe primarily because they put the human element front and center. These certainly aren't detailed character studies but you learn enough about each character, and their situation, to relate to them. Even the more surreal environments still address the human in the middle (or margin) of it.

I've seen some reviewers mention their favorites, and I thought about doing that, but I would end up listing half the stories or more. Some are more serious, some less, some disturbing while some make you just nod and think "I would be that person." With so many stories that touch so many emotions, my favorite this minute may well not be my favorite next minute. So I will just say that most readers will likely come away with many favorites. I will say I was quite intrigued with the one told from within a van Gogh painting.

Highly recommended for fans of short fiction as well as those who like stories that look at society's shortcomings and shed some light on them.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Europa Editions for a copy of this arc, all opinions my own.

I really liked these interesting short stories, although I didn't actually realize this wasn't a novel until I started reading. As with any short story book there are always stories that I liked more than others.

I enjoyed Matsuda's writing and will read more from them.

‘The woman dies’ is a collection of well written, unique short stories, covering a range of themes and social issues throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed ‘God must be stupid’, as I to believe cats should be ‘indestructible’ and their ‘coats should remain eternally soft and fluffy’. Others that caught my attention the most, were dissecting misogyny, the year of no flowers and hawai’i.

The only downside was some of the stories did fall short for me, which I find with many short story collections. However, the book overall was a great read, and I will be reading more by this author.

awesome set of microfiction. my definite favorite was Victoria's Secret, a short discussion of what it's like for someone to question their gender identity, but so many of them were great! 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Love this one. It's funny in non conventional way. My only complain is some stories were too short to even speculate but I had fun with this one! Recommended!

The Woman Dies Book by Aoko Matsuda 🦈🙃🗣️ - These are my personal reviews.

Rating 4/5😌:
For a collection of short stories, I really enjoyed these. I feel as if the themes that were being brought to life were equally balanced with comedic relief as much as sincerity!

Overall Feelings:
Even translated to english, the point was made evident. Each story carries an individual theme, although each one is somehow tied back to the act of femininity and how that in itself is dangerous. I teared up with the first short story and very quickly realized the point. I enjoyed this read.

The Woman Dies is set to release September 2, 2025! 🤩

The Woman Dies by Aoko Matsuda is one of the most unique and arresting collections I’ve read in a long time. It’s not quite fiction, not quite essay, more like a series of sharp, vivid fragments that cut through genre altogether.

Some pieces made me laugh out loud. Others hit me in the gut. A few felt like being slapped, sudden, precise, and unfiltered. Matsuda moves between tones with ease: absurdity, rage, tenderness, grief. But what binds it all is her unapologetically feminist voice. She doesn’t explain. She just states, and the effect is both disarming and strangely exhilarating.

This isn’t a book with a clear arc or takeaway, and that’s part of its power. It felt more like a visceral experience than a traditional reading one. I didn’t analyze these pieces, I felt them. The anger is there, quiet. The grief is present, not sentimental. The clarity cuts, never comforts.

It’s not for everyone. Some readers will connect instantly. Others won’t. But that tension, between what lands and what eludes, is what made this book stay with me.

A bold, genre-bending, emotionally intelligent work. Highly recommended for readers who crave honesty, form-breaking structure, and prose that isn’t afraid to provoke.

Thank you to NetGalley and Europa Editions for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This just wasn’t for me. The translation seems really well done, but while I understand what these stories were attempting to do, the majority just didn’t land for me and I kept waiting to it to end

‘The Woman Dies’ is a collection of 52 short stories and whilst feminism is a prevailing theme, the collection spans multiple genres so you’re never quite sure what you’re getting next. I originally read this as I loved ‘Where the Wild Ladies Are’ and was looking forward to another short story collection from Matsuda (and another Polly Barton translation) and whilst ‘The Woman Dies’ did not disappoint; it isn’t as much as a cohesive collection so something to keep in mind. The shift from androids to Bond girls to cats to yoghurts can be a little jarring but it mostly works- especially when you read the one-line commentaries before delving into each story. These commentaries really added to this collection for me- they were tinged with humour (Matsuda, girl, I absolutely see why you regret writing ‘Cage in a Cage’ but I’d glad that you did) and made the whole reading experience much more personal, whilst also helping to contextualise some of the more abstract stories.

Whilst some of the stories definitely deliver on the commentary of sexism promised by the book’s description- the titular ‘The Woman Dies’ provides a sharp critique of the disposability of women in media and ‘The Masculine Touch’ offers a scathing but witty take on the absolute absurdity of the standards by which women are judged- I found the most enjoyment in the more whimsical and the weirder stories. ‘English Composition No. 1’ asks what exactly is a power suit, ‘Hawai’i’ follows the journey of an inanimate object that no longer sparks joy as it retires to paradise and ‘Baseball Player Soup’ likens macaroni to men’s thighs with a macabre twist. The highlight for me however was ‘This Precious Opportunity’ because whilst it might be absurd to some, that one small change would also absolutely ruin my day and I felt validated reading that story. A special mention also has to go out to ‘A Magic Spell’, its simplicity is beautiful, and I too hope to never lose the wonder in everyday life.

Thank you to Europa Editions and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

I read a week ago but I forgot to review (✌🏼 sorry!)

Okay so......this book is strange. Like truly, beautifully, unsettlingly strange. But it’s the kind of strange that gets under your skin haha not just because it’s surreal, but because it’s right. It says the quiet parts out loud, and then it says them again, but through a mirror, in a dream, with dry humor and ghostly precision. And somehow, it all works.

The author doesn’t ease you in. She just throws you into these sharp little worlds where reality bends, language twists, and nothing is quite what it seems but everything feels painfully familiar. You’ll be reading about something totally bizarre like a woman who becomes part of a movie, an object with feelings and then realize, “Wait… this is about us. This is about me.” I was cackling the whole time because I live for dry humor.

And that’s the magic of it.

This book talks about some very real things as well as sexism, violence against women, performative grief, what society expects of us, how we’re flattened into symbols but it never does it in a way that feels preachy or heavy-handed. What I loved most is that every story feels like a quiet rebellion? They’re weird, but they’re also honest. And honestly? The way she points out how used we are to women dying in media as plot devices, as shock value, as afterthoughts had me audibly whispering, “Wow.” Like yes, I’ve always felt that discomfort, but the author gave it a shape. She gave it language.

Let me just say that this novel isn’t for readers who need everything neat and easy. But if you like stories that mess with form, challenge how we see gender and violence, and aren’t afraid to get weird in the name of truth? Read this. You’ll leave a little shaken. A little smarter. And maybe, like me, a little angry in a necessary kind of way cause you know the truth hurts.

4.5 💓⭐️✨
Thank you Europa Editions for my personal copy I loved it!

Okay, I literally don't know what this was. It was a pretty quick DNF for me.
I am still really thankful to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access.

A short stories collection of varying lengths. One fun little bit is that there is a part where the author describes the inspiration to the different stories which I really enjoyed. I like to see the process behind writing things.

This was a mediocre short story collection centered on feminist themes. Most of the stories either didn't hit the mark or overexplained themselves and therefore rendered the story uninteresting. A few of them were pretty solid though!

you can never fully rate a short story collection because some stories are a hit while others might miss, it's the same with this one, however i really liked the writing style and will read more by the author.