Heaven opens Goodreads in a new tab

Told in the voice of a fourteen-year-old boy tormented at school for his lazy eye, Heaven follows a narrator who chooses to suffer in complete resignation rather than resist. His only respite is a friendship with a classmate, Kojima, a girl who endures similar treatment from her own tormentors. Told simply and directly yet with astonishing emotional depth, the novel explores the meaning and experience of violence, the consolations of friendship, and the philosophical and moral debates surrounding the suffering of the weak. Translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd.