As is true for many who live abroad, Marina is changed by her experience in ways she never could have anticipated. The cast of characters in the town of Shika includes a quirky co-teacher of English who sings a mean Elvis on karaoke, a silent neighbor boy who is just breaking out of hibernation and the British expat who is attempting to become the next great foreign talent after his stint teaching English in Shika. If You Follow Me is the tale of Marina, a young American who moves to Japan with her girlfriend in order to teach English and escape the painful reality of her father’s recent suicide. One too many kanpais at the bonnenkai? Check.Īlong with these key details, Watrous also weaves together a story that is unique and which is about much more than a gaijin living in Japan. What about the nasal voice booming over the portable PA system each night as an old man tries to sell his jagaimo? Check. For example: ever receive a handwritten note from your Japanese supervisor admonishing something you did? Check. Part of the joy in reading If You Follow Me was having a trip down memory lane. Malena Watrous (Ishikawa-ken, 1998-2000) joined the ranks JET alum authors with the recent release of her debut novel, If You Follow Me, published by Harper Collins in March 2010.Īlthough Watrous admits she didn’t want her novel to become a “Japan weirdest hits” type of book, she does an exceptional job of capturing details and drawing upon common expatriate experiences in Japan. Indeed there was - here are Liz’s thoughts about the novel and her conversation with the author: The book’s description and the author’s biography made Liz think there was a JET connection. Malena Watrous (Ishikawa-ken, 1998-2000), author of the novel 'If You Follow Me'įreelance writer, essayist and blogger Liz Sheffield (Hokkaio-ken, Sapporo-shi, 1993-95) recently came across an article in Writer’s Digest about Malena Watrous, the author of If You Follow Me.

If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous