Honeybees and Distant Thunder

Winner of the Naoki Prize and the Japan Booksellers' Award

In a small coastal town just a stone's throw from Tokyo, a prestigious piano competition is underway. Over the course of two feverish weeks, three students will experience some of the most joyous - and painful - moments of their lives. Though they don't know it yet, each will profoundly and unpredictably change the others, for ever.

Aya was a piano genius, until she fled the stage and vanished; will the tall and talented Makun bring her back? Or will it be child of nature Jin, a pianist without a piano, who carries the sound of his father's bees wherever he goes? Each will break the rules, amaze their fans and push themselves to the brink. But at what cost?

HONEYBEES AND DISTANT THUNDER is a tender and compelling story of love, courage and rivalry - and of what it means to be a true friend.