I’m excited to introduce my latest young adult novel, My Neon Love, a coming-of-age romance set against the neon lights and cherry blossoms of Tokyo.
At the heart of the story is seventeen-year-old Daniel Botha, a Cape Town teenager who desperately needs to get away from home.
After a humiliating incident destroys his lifelong friendship with Dimitri, Daniel finds himself facing the prospect of returning to high school with his reputation in tatters. So, when the opportunity arises to gatecrash his older brother’s all-guys trip to Japan, he takes it.
Tokyo is everything Daniel needs it to be. It’s exciting, overwhelming and, most importantly, thousands of kilometres away from everything he’s trying to forget.
Then, one evening in the lantern-lit yakitori alleys of Shinjuku, Daniel meets Shato, a handsome young chef who changes the course of his holiday.
Despite the language barrier, the two form an unexpected friendship that gradually blossoms into something more. Through Shato, Daniel begins to see himself differently, discovering a confidence he never knew he possessed.
But falling in love is the easy part. Eventually, Daniel will have to return home and face the mistakes he’s been running from.
A Love Letter to Japan
Japan provides a wonderful backdrop for a story about self-discovery. I was there in April, and its magical in every sense of the word. The lights, the people, the history, the food!
I wanted to capture that sense of possibility that comes with travelling somewhere completely unfamiliar. The freedom of being somewhere nobody knows you, where you can step outside the expectations and insecurities that have always defined you.
For Daniel, Japan becomes more than a holiday destination. It’s a place where he can begin to imagine a different version of himself.
And, of course, there’s the romance.
My Neon Love is about all of those things, but it’s also about the joy of discovering someone who makes you feel seen for the very first time.
