Summary

The female narrator in “Tea with the Birds” by Joanne Harris lives on a street that she does not like very much. She dislikes the way her neighbours gossip and feels like an outsider. She has moved there after staying for two years in a psychiatric ward. She works as a waitress and volunteers occasionally on her psychiatrist’s advice, but she enjoys the time she spends alone in her house.

The narrator’s life is disrupted when Mr Juzo Tamaoki moves into the flat next to hers. At first, she likes that the man seems to prefer an isolated life like she does. They only meet accidentally and never talk but only smile at each other. She also notices that Mr Tamaoki leaves his house every evening carrying some bags.

The narrator is bothered by the fact that a delivery car comes every morning to bring vegetables to Mr Tamaoki. The noise disturbs her sleep, which ...