When the Museum is Closed

Emi Yagi author Yuki Tejima translator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Publishing:10th Jul '25

£14.99

This title is due to be published on 10th July, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

When the Museum is Closed cover

A quirky, joyful queer love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus, from the author of cult hit Diary of a Void

Rika Horauchi’s new part-time job is to converse with a statue of Venus – in Latin – every Monday, when the museum is closed.

Initially reluctant, Rika starts to enjoy her strange new job. Recommended by her old university professor for her exemplary language skills, Rika leads an otherwise unassuming life, working the rest of the week in a frozen-food warehouse. As Venus comes to life in the quiet of the museum, they talk about everything. Venus opens up new worlds for Rika, both intellectually and emotionally. They soon fall in love. But when the museum’s curator, Hashibami, makes it clear he wants to keep Venus for himself, what will Rika do?

When the Museum is Closed is by turns charming, funny and surprising, a surreal take on our most real emotions and concerns: love, loneliness, freedom, perceptions of beauty and how women are seen in society. A joyful queer love story, this fresh and original new novel confirms Emi Yagi as one of the most exciting Japanese writers published in English today.

Translated by Yuki Tejima

Praise for Diary of a Void


‘Incredibly thought-provoking... you‘ll love Yagi‘s writing‘ STYLIST

‘A subversive, surreal read that will strike a cord‘ RED

‘Endlessly strange, funny and meaningful‘ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘A book that reflects on life, solitude and what it means to be a woman‘ FINANCIAL TIMES

ISBN: 9781787304642

Dimensions: 216mm x 135mm x 20mm

Weight: 300g

224 pages