Jun is the object of Aya’s gaze. She never speaks to him meaningfully; she only watches. His swimming becomes a silent performance for her alone. Ogawa inverts the typical male-gaze theory: here, a teenage girl objectifies a younger boy, reducing him to a body in water. Yet the power is not sexual in a celebratory way—it is predatory and possessive. When Jun’s body moves through the water, Aya experiences not desire but a cold sense of ownership.
If you're interested in a similar exploration of obsession and psychological suspense, you might also enjoy Ogawa’s internationally acclaimed novel, The Memory Police .
The title novella follows Aya, the teenage biological daughter of Christian missionaries who run the "Light House" orphanage. Aya feels like an outsider, noting, "The photographs in their family albums are crowded with row after row of orphans. 'And there I am,' Aya explains, 'lost among them'". She develops an obsessive infatuation with Jun, an orphan and talented diver, which she satisfies by secretly watching his practices. Simultaneously, Aya begins to torment the youngest resident, a toddler named Rie, finding a dark pleasure in her cruelty.