Slim and strangely exuberant ... Yagi’s unnerving effects are stifled by the novel’s pat surrealism. What could have been a biting portrait of the glorification of female beauty is softened by a simple happy ending—in a world where no ending can possibly be simple, whether happy or not.
An extended meditation on—almost an allegory for—what it truly means to be objectified, as told by a woman in love with a character who is, truly, a female object ... Notable for its gorgeous prose.
Delightfully surreal ... Yagi has written a whimsical tale highlighting unexpected relationships ... As a slim novella, When the Museum Is Closed might seem initially spare but it's rife with insights on language, communication, love, identity, definitions of beauty, gender roles, and the possibility of true individual freedom.
