When the Museum is Closed

De: Emi Yagi, Yuki Tejima - translator

Narrado por: Kae Alexander

Brought to you by Penguin.

A quirky, joyful queer love story about a lonely museum worker who falls in love with a statue of Venus

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

'Filled with movement and passion - a luminous story that reveals a whole world of desire and possibility, right at the heart of loneliness' Rosie Price, author of THE ORANGE ROOM

© Emi Yagi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Reseñas de la Crítica

A dreamlike take on desire, loneliness, and the transformative power of being perceived by others

[Its] gentle surrealism nevertheless exposes truths about loneliness, beauty, and queer love . . . Fans of Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here will appreciate Yagi’s blend of dark humor and empathy for her characters, while the unconventional love story may appeal to fans of Sky Daddy by Kate Folk or Blob by Maggie Su

I was captivated by Rika's strange, frozen world, filled with movement and passion - a perfectly contained and luminous story that reveals a whole world of desire and possibility, right at the heart of loneliness (Rosie Price, author of THE ORANGE ROOM)

Another surreal delight

I quickly became addicted and found myself thinking about it long after I had finished (***** READER REVIEW)

Filled with comedy, yet it constantly makes the reader question societal norms (***** READER REVIEW)

Unlike anything I've ever read! (**** READER REVIEW)

Effortlessly blends the everyday with the fantastical. A celebration of non-conformity and freedom from society’s constraints… I found it completely gripping (**** READER REVIEW)

Refreshing and unpredictable. I would recommend this book to those who want a short but thought-provoking read (**** READER REVIEW)

Delightful if at times unsettling, this is a book that I’m sure will stick with me (**** READER REVIEW)