There’s always something that we can rely on to bring us joy – that bag of paprika crisps or another viewing of Schitt’s Creek. In All Lovers In The Night (Pan Macmillan) – the third novel from acclaimed Japanese author Mieko Kawakami, out today – the thing that gets 34-year-old Japanese freelance proofreader Fuyuko excited about life comes about by chance. At face value, Fuyoko’s life seems mediocre and lacklustre. That is, until she meets – and starts to have romantic feelings for – an older physics teacher, Mitsutska. Their weekly cafe meet-ups shortly turn into a source of uninterrupted elation for Fuyoko – and for readers, too.

“Kawakami’s writing is a joy to read,” says Stylist Loves writer Kiran Meeda. “She has an effortless way of turning the mundanity of Fuyoko’s day-to-day into detailed occasions that I want to know more about, whether it’s the friendship she has with her only friend and fellow proofreader Hijiri and their back and forth about the art of proof-reading or her transition from someone who hardly ever drinks to ordering the largest sized sake bottle every night. Though the everyday is more interesting than you’d think, this is a book that’s really about Fuyoko discovering happiness, whether it’s via simple chats with Mitsutska or embracing her introverted ways.” £14.99, Bookshop.org