A NOVEL
Ramen,
Existential Crises
The menu never changes.
The crises arrive fresh every day.
From the back cover
Koji is twenty-seven and one module short of a degree in Politics and Government. The missing module is Crisis Management. It feels appropriate.
For six years, he has worked in a tiny ramen shop with eleven seats, one dish and a broth whose flame has not gone out in thirty-two years. The noodles cook for exactly eighty-five seconds.
Then the timer fails. A stranger gives Koji his business card. Someone from his past walks into the restaurant. Around him, other people make decisions and continue with their lives.
Koji has always known what should be done.
Doing it is another matter.
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Goodreads reviews
“One of the best books I have ever read.”
“From the first page, the writing style of Roie Oknin sucked me in.”
“Delicate storytelling that beautifully bridges humor, drama and the philosophy of life.”
Press & Features
- An Interview with Contemporary Fiction Author Roie Oknin
- Author Feature: Roie Oknin
- TCL’s #ShortStorySunday – Bowling Me Over Noodles
- Indie Author Spotlight: Roie Oknin
- The 40 but 10: Roie Oknin
- What an 85-Second Ramen Timer Taught Me About Writing Character Through Routine
- 7 books for your quarter life crisis
- Review: Ramen, Existential Crisis by Roie Oknin
- Named among her top 10 books of all time, and added to her annual reread list
From the book
“A few days is a very dangerous unit of time. It has no definite shape. It can end on Tuesday, or it can last six years.”
“There is something insulting about objects that return to working perfectly the moment you have failed because of them.”
“A place that is open almost every day may forget that being closed is also part of its nature.”
About the author
Roie Oknin is a writer, artist and medical student. He holds a B.Sc. in Neuroscience and a B.A. in Psychology. Ramen, Existential Crises is his first novel.