The 49th Day of the Salamander (サンショウウオの四十九日) by Asahina Aki (2024)

This Japanese novel is a poignant and reflective tale about conjoined twins who share a single body and their quest to understand their shared existence. Author Asahina, a doctor and novelist, blends his medical expertise with deep human empathy to create a narrative that’s both unique and compelling. The story offers profound insights and endearing portrayals of a life that is both relatable and completely different from that of most readers. It’s a quiet yet impactful journey, blending scenes from daily life with flashbacks and hallucinations, provoking thought and emotion alike. The novel’s gentle tone, straightforward style, and occasional humor keep it from feeling heavy or difficult.

The novel is divided into four chapters. The first chapter presents a series of scenes from Shun and An’s daily lives, as they visit their parents and return to their apartment, allowing the reader to gradually understand their unique situation. We also learn about their father, who was born under unusual circumstances—he was a ‘parasitic twin’ who developed inside his brother Katsuhiko before being surgically separated. The chapter concludes with a phone call from their mother, informing them of Katsuhiko’s death. The second chapter follows the next day: Shun and An go to work at a bread factory, but An becomes increasingly preoccupied with their uncle’s death and their own existence as two minds in one body.

The third chapter covers Katsuhiko’s funeral, where their father arrives just in time for the cremation. During the traditional ‘bone separation’ ceremony, the twins are disturbed by the thought that their father and uncle died at different times, leading them to ponder what would happen if one of their consciousnesses died before the other. The final chapter jumps ahead to the interment ceremony forty-nine days later, where Katsuhiko’s ashes are placed in the family grave. When the twins spend the night at their grandparents’ home, Shun falls ill with tonsillitis, while An, unable to feel the symptoms, continues drinking beer. The next morning, as the illness worsens, they are taken to the hospital. Though their future is uncertain, they find solace in knowing their ashes will eventually be placed together in a single urn.