Super Short Summary

The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi, set during Japan's early Meiji era, follows Tomo, the wife of mid-level government official Yukitomo Shirakawa, as she navigates her husband's insistence on maintaining multiple concubines. Over forty years, Tomo selects young girls for Yukitomo, and the story delves into the lives of these concubines, highlighting the era's female oppression. This book includes descriptions of sexual exploitation.