Botchan

A coming-of-age novel about a young man with family resentment who becomes a math teacher in a remote provincial town. Isolated and frustrated by his nosy landlord, mischievous students, and complicated colleagues (whom he nicknames Porcupine, Green Squash, Badger, and Red Shirt), he navigates chaos with great wit and irony. The novel explores his struggle to remain true to what is honest and good while confronting peer hypocrisy—recognized as a Japanese literary classic comparable to The Catcher in the Rye.