The Lake (みずうみ, Mizuumi) is a 2005 novel by Banana Yoshimoto, translated into English by Michael Emmerich, and inspired by the infamous, real-life Aum Shinrikyo cult.
[1][2][3] After her mother's death, Chihiro moves to Tokyo, where she sees a mysterious man, Nakajima, standing in the window of his home opposite hers, and watching her.
Nakajima seems to have been a victim of a childhood trauma.
Chihiro begins to fall in love with him but his dark past threatens to tear them apart.
[4][5]