In Masks, Fumiko Enchi draws on the aesthetics of classical Japanese Noh theatre to tell a modern story about power between men and women.

At the centre of the novel is Mieko Togano, an elderly poet whose calm exterior conceals a patient, unsettling intelligence. Through subtle emotional manoeuvres, she begins orchestrating the relationships between her daughter-in-law and two male academics drawn into her orbit.

Each character performs a role, concealing private motives behind social gestures — much like the masks of Noh drama that give the novel its title. Love, grief, jealousy, and vengeance move beneath the surface of polite conversation.

Elegant, unsettling, and psychologically sharp, Masks is one of Enchi’s most celebrated works.