Home › Psychological › Intimacies

Intimacies

by Katie Kitamura

Language, intimacy, and the pressures of power

Regular price $15.86 USD
Regular price $26.44 USD Sale price $15.86 USD
Save 40%

Paperback New

Delivery to your door
In stock·Dispatches in 1–2 business days
Standard shipping* from $4.35
Standard shipping transit* 5–8 business days after dispatch

Faster options are available.

Rates and delivery estimates depend on your destination and item quantity. Estimates are informational only; the final shipping method and rate are selected at checkout.

Secure checkout
American Express Apple Pay DiscoverGoogle Pay Mastercard PayPalVisa
30-day eligible returns Returns & refunds policy

Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    2021 National Book Award for Fiction longlist

    Longlisted in Fiction for the 2021 National Book Award.

  • Editorial selection

    New York Times Top 10 Book of 2021

    Named a top 10 book of 2021.

  • Critical praise

    Dwight Garner calls it one of the best novels he read in 2021

    Described as one of the best novels he read in 2021.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Language, intimacy, and the pressures of power

In The Hague, an interpreter’s work at the International Court places her close to a case involving a former president accused of war crimes. Outside the courtroom, her unsettled relationship with Adriaan and her growing involvement in a violent crime witnessed by her friend Jana create overlapping personal and public tensions. The novel brings these strands together through a protagonist whose fluency across languages and identities is matched by uncertainty about where she belongs. Its central concerns—how people navigate competing truths, and how power and violence enter both public institutions and private relationships—connect the interpreter’s professional role to the choices she faces in her personal life.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in psychological fiction centered on relationships and moral uncertainty.
  • Readers drawn to stories involving international justice, interpretation, and political controversy.
  • Readers who enjoy fiction that connects private relationships with public violence and power.

Themes

Language and identityBelongingIntimacy and betrayalPolitical power and justiceViolence in public and private life

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOK OF 2021

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION


ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE 2021 READS

AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A BEST BOOK OF 2021 FROM Washington Post, Vogue, Time, Oprah Daily, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Atlantic, Kirkus and Entertainment Weekly


"Intimacies is a haunting, precise, and morally astute novel that reads like a psychological thriller.... Katie Kitamura is a wonder." --Dana Spiotta, author of Wayward and Eat the Document

"One of the best novels I've read in 2021." - Dwight Garner, The New York Times


A novel from the author of A Separation, an electrifying story about a woman caught between many truths.


An interpreter has come to The Hague to escape New York and work at the International Court. A woman of many languages and identities, she is looking for a place to finally call home.

She's drawn into simmering personal dramas: her lover, Adriaan, is separated from his wife but still entangled in his marriage. Her friend Jana witnesses a seemingly random act of violence, a crime the interpreter becomes increasingly obsessed with as she befriends the victim's sister. And she's pulled into an explosive political controversy when she's asked to interpret for a former president accused of war crimes.

A woman of quiet passion, she confronts power, love, and violence, both in her personal intimacies and in her work at the Court. She is soon pushed to the precipice, where betrayal and heartbreak threaten to overwhelm her, forcing her to decide what she wants from her life.
Shipping & returnsShipping options, delivery timing, and our return policy.

In-stock items normally dispatch within 1–2 business days. The ZIP-code estimator on this page is informational only; the final shipping method, price, and availability are confirmed at checkout for your full order.

For the initial delivery estimate we use these transit windows after dispatch: Standard 5–8 business days, Expedited 2–4 business days, and Priority 1–2 business days. Holiday delays are not included.

Eligible items can be returned within 30 days in accordance with our return policy.

Customer reviews