Rental Sister: A Novel

Thomas Tessler has isolated himself in his bedroom for three years, leaving only at night to buy groceries near his Manhattan apartment. Unable to process a devastating loss, he no longer engages with his wife, Silke, who lives in the next room. The Japanese term hikikomori describes this withdrawal, and Japan has developed a solution: the "rental sister." Desperate to save their marriage, Silke hires Megumi, a young Japanese immigrant, to draw Thomas back into the world. Megumi, fleeing her own painful past through a life of nightclubs and transient relationships, takes on the role. Though Thomas initially resists, he gradually begins to trust Megumi, and their relationship deepens into something increasingly sensual. The novel explores questions about the risks of intimacy, whether another woman can reconnect a husband to his wife, and what must be sacrificed for love.