Nuns of Nañao ~ Ep. 157

This is The Nuns of Nañao: A Reincarnate Loved Story. It is not a reincarnated love story because the people are the same; they just flip between bodies. In the previous novel I wrote, The Tokyo Tunnel Girl, a character disappears - both from the plot and from the book. This is the follow-up for that character. He is called, in both books, The Russian.

First we have Otto who falls in love with Nina. Otto is a Russian tank commander in World War Two. First he is in Mongolia with Zhukov and then is transferred to Stalingrad, where he and his two comrades, Raul and The Saint, die. They also meet the Angel of Death, of course, because they die.

He then appears as a watchmaker in Brooklyn where he meets a young scam artist who he dubs The Russian. They age together and one day in the park, Otto sees the Angel of Death again. He slips into The Russian’s body just before the angel takes him away.

Otto, now going by the name The Russian, ends up in Japan. After a bit of confusion, he straightens out and starts exploring; always looking for Nina.

Cover is a detail from a Hiroshige woodblock print, Man on horseback crossing a bridge on the Kiso Highway or, in the lingua franca of Japan: 木曾街道六拾九次之内 長久保（広重）.

While writing this book, I got stuck so I started writing another book sort of to get the cobwebs out of my head and get a fresh look on life. This other book turned into Abacus Longing which will be part of our dramatic adventure next time. More info about Abacus Longing can be found down below in Episode 154.