Intimacies is a novel by American author Katie Kitamura. It was published in August 2021 after Jonathan Cape acquired the rights in February of the same year. It is her fourth novel after A Separation (2017) and both share a similar tone in terms of the conflicts surrounding the private spheres in their plots. Nonetheless, Intimacies goes beyond by exploring the world of international politics, as the protagonist is an interpreter at the International Criminal Court. It was inspired by Kitamura’s own experiences while attending the trial of the former Ivorian head of state Laurent Gbagbo at The Hague. Also from listening to the prosecution against Charles Taylor for crimes against humanity.
The plot revolves around the unnamed female protagonist caught in between two worlds of her personal and professional life. She moves to the Netherlands for her new job where she grapples with the unresolved feelings and attachments back in New York. A contradiction occurs between the triteness of her private life and the extremities of her profession as an interpreter for a former president and war criminal. The everyday stresses shift from the inability to create lasting companionships or connections to the violence and war crimes in the world. Eventually, she comes to terms with issues from her past including the death of her father and abandonment from both her mother and lover.
Bethanne Patrick of The Washington Post wrote “In her unforgettable 2017 A Separation, Kitamura took her protagonist to the edge of an island in the Mediterranean; in her new and equally unforgettable novel, she places an interpreter in the forcing her to choose a path and an identity.” The book was recommended by the former president of the United States Barack Obama for his 2021 summer reading list. It was also long-listed for the National Book Award for Fiction.
