Intimacies, by Katie Kitamura

An Asian-American interpreter has been living in The Hague for several months, on contract with the International Court. She has always moved around so much, from childhood onwards, that nowhere feels like home. With a new relationship and the prospect of a permanent job, there is a chance of a real future on offer. But is it the future she wants? We never learn the name of this woman, who wanders around making do with inadequacy. The one friend she has made in the city seems to be two-faced, with ulterior motives. Her relationship at first seems so promising, but her partner has been withholding information from the start and fails to communicate about crucial aspects of his life. She just rolls with it all, overthinking everything, doubting herself, but taking no action. Her attitude to her work is similarly ambivalent; contact with accused war criminals leads her to question herself and her life choices. It’s all a bit aimless, with various characters, mostly male, seemingly introduced only to treat her badly with no consequences. The word intimacy is used repeatedly throughout the text, which is odd as the protagonist has little true intimacy in her life. The ambiguous ending is perhaps meant to offer hope, but only reinforces her passive acceptance of a life not good enough.