When the Museum Is Closed

A Ballerina Book Club Pick
Vulture, A Must-Read of the Month
The Orange County Register, A Most Anticipated Book
Autostraddle, A Most Anticipated Queer Book of the Month
Literary Hub, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year

“Slim and strangely exuberant . . . [Yagi has a] a knack for unexpected, absurd humor . . . Enjoyable.” —Sarah Chihaya, The New Yorker

“[A] unique, witty novel about love and loneliness.” —People

“This novella is a tender, surrealistic, delightful masterpiece . . . Yagi’s storytelling style is perfect for fans of Lydia Millet and Ted Chiang . . . One to reread on the rainy days, the overwhelming days, or the lonely days.” —Sophie Richmond, Yakima Herald-Republic

“[T]hickly complex . . . Ultimately, When the Museum Is Closed is both a love story and a tale about stepping into the unknown. It asks whether you would willingly throw yourself into an abyss for the one you love. The story questions how we relate to one another in contemporary society, where we are taught to make self-serving, safe choices.” —Grace En-yi Ting, The Japan Times

“Surreal and contemplative and utterly hopeful, When the Museum Is Closed challenges the notion of unbridgeable distances, both between people and within oneself . . . Throughout, Yagi engages with contemporary issues present in Japan and around the world . . . Rika’s loneliness and crippling social anxiety, and is exemplary of how Yagi expertly deploys the limited speculative elements—here, a physical manifestation of her character’s interiority—in her slim, surreal novel . . . These braids of narrative complement rather than compete with one another, and this arrangement smoothly renders Rika’s overlapping inner conflicts and desires. The resultant narrative allows Rika to inhabit the pages of the novel, and When the Museum Is Closed becomes itself a sort of Venus statue: an inanimate object imbued with a particular life.” —Alex Crayon, World Literature Today

“Yagi and her translator Yuki Tejima have a gift for finding beauty in the quotidian—a kind of ekphrasis of the everyday.” —Rhoda Feng, ArtForum

“A fun and (metaphysical) sexy queer love story, Yagi’s latest tackles love, loneliness, and the role of women’s beauty in society.” —Emily Firetog, Literary Hub

“When the Museum is Closed is a dreamlike take on desire, loneliness, and the transformative power of being perceived by others.” —Linnea Gradin, Electric Literature

“As a slim novella, When the Museum Is Closed might seem initially spare but it’s rife with insights on language, communication, love, identity, definitions of beauty, gender roles, and the possibility of true individual freedom.” —Terry Hong, Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“This whimsical story is a winner.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Its] gentle surrealism nevertheless exposes truths about loneliness, beauty, and queer love . . . Fans of Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here will appreciate Yagi’s blend of dark humor and empathy for her characters, while the unconventional love story may appeal to fans of Sky Daddy, by Kate Folk or Blob, by Maggie Su.” —Booklist

“Yagi’s characters and the world they inhabit are as inimitably charming as they are whimsical. Through them, the author explores weightier themes like loneliness, love, sexuality, and the meaning of art with flair, zest, and a refreshing touch of the surreal. A magical love story couched in absurdist fabulism.” —Kirkus Reviews

“After loving Diary of a Void and now When the Museum Is Closed, I can confidently say that I love the way author Emi Yagi’s brain works! Thank you Emi for writing these delightfully unhinged and charmingly unconventional stories.” —Christine Bollow, Loyalty Bookstores (Washington, DC)