The Woman in the Dunes

The Woman in the Dunes, by celebrated writer and thinker Kōbō Abe, combines the essence of myth, suspense, and the existential novel.

After missing the last bus home following a day trip to the seashore, an amateur entomologist is offered lodging for the night at the bottom of a vast sand pit. When he attempts to leave the next morning, he quickly discovers that the locals have other plans. Held captive with seemingly no chance of escape, he is tasked with shoveling back the ever-advancing sand that threatens to engulf the village. His only companion is an odd young woman, and together their fates become intertwined as they work side by side through a Sisyphean task.