Honeybees and Distant Thunder introduces an ensemble cast on the cusp of the internationally acclaimed, triennial Yoshigae International Piano Competition. The story launches with an extraordinary audition in Paris by a previously unknown pianist, Jin Kazama, who arrives with a letter of recommendation from one of the classical music world’s most revered maestros. The maestro died some months earlier, but it’s clear from the letter that he had a plan for Jin, who works with his father as a beekeeper, and anticipated the wildly divergent reactions Jin’s performances would elicit. The three judges of the Paris auditions – two awestruck, one horrified – agree, somewhat mischievously, and only after an intense debate, that Jin should progress to the competition.

The controversy carries over from Paris to the competition itself, just outside Tokyo. The stakes are high for judges and competitors alike. Former child prodigy Aya Eiden, who ran from her last recital (after a perfect rehearsal) at age 13, has been persuaded to return to the stage at 20. Akashi Takashima has sacrificed sleep for over a year to practice in between his responsibilities at home and his job at a music shop. At 28, he feels this is his last chance to make something of his musical ambitions. Meanwhile, Masaru Carlos Levi Anatole, the charming protégé of one of the judges, is another musical genius and a leading contender, one with a surprising, and possibly fateful, connection to another entrant.

The book follows the structure of the two-week competition: with three rounds and one winner, this is a novel that will have your stomach in knots with suspense. It’s an intense world, one in which issues of class and culture, talent and devotion, loyalty and rivalry seem tightly bound to creativity and nature. The characters – judges, pianists, supporters and mentors – are as colourful as the music Riku Onda so artfully evokes. You don’t have to care about classical music to enjoy this book any more than you need to know a thing about any kind of football to appreciate Friday Night Lights or Ted Lasso, but for readers who do love classical music there will be additional rewards.