Sayaka Murata - Life Ceremony

Sayaka Murata - Life Ceremony 

4 ⭐

Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Translated Fiction, East Asian Literature, Short Stories, Horror, Mystery 

Translated by: Ginny Tapley Takemori 

Original Title: 生命式 [Seimeishiki]  

Original Language: Japanese 

Pages: 266

Format: Kindle (Digital) 

Publisher: Granta Books 

Date Published: 1st October 2019

 

Book Blurb: 

From the author of international bestseller Convenience Store Woman comes a collection of short fiction: weird, out of this world and like nothing you’ve read before.

An engaged couple falls out over the husband’s dislike of clothes and objects made from human materials; a young girl finds herself deeply enamoured with the curtain in her childhood bedroom; people honour their dead by eating them and then procreating. Published in English for the first time, this exclusive edition also includes the story that first brought Sayaka Murata international acclaim: ‘A Clean Marriage’, which tells the story of a happily asexual couple who must submit to some radical medical procedures if they are to conceive a longed-for child.

Mixing taboo-breaking body horror with feminist revenge fables, old ladies who love each other and young women finding empathy and transformation in unlikely places, Life Ceremony is a wild ride to the outer edges of one of the most original minds in contemporary fiction.

My Review: 

OMG! This book was something else! In both, good and very grossly disturbing ways. The good is that this book is different to anything else I have ever read before. The grossly disturbing is that each story makes you feel like you are in a horror version of the Black Mirror episode. However, the writing is amazing, just as amazing as it was in Convenience Store Woman. I enjoyed the different parts of all twelve stories and learned so much, as each of them had a different hidden message in it.

Throughout 12 stories Murata explores our societal norms and traditions in a very creative way. Most of the stories ask ‘’what if..?’’ and makes you question whether the norms and traditions we have now wouldn’t be weird for others that come before us or will come after us. I felt that each story makes the reader question what societal norms are and who creates them. It also makes people question what is considered normal and what is not.

Overall: I really recommend this book, but be aware that is not a light-hearted read. There are so many gruesome, disgusting, and weird parts in every story, yet you also take something important and informative from each of the stories too. If you like horror and if you like Black Mirror, then you will definitely enjoy Life Ceremony! 

About the Author:

Sayaka Murata (in Japanese, 村田 沙耶香) is one of the most exciting up-and-coming writers in Japan today. She herself still works part time in a convenience store, which gave her the inspiration to write Convenience Store Woman (Konbini Ningen). She debuted in 2003 with Junyu (Breastfeeding), which won the Gunzo Prize for new writers. In 2009 she won the Noma Prize for New Writers with Gin iro no uta (Silver Song), and in 2013 the Mishima Yukio Prize for Shiro-oro no machi no, sono hone no taion no (Of Bones, of Body Heat, of Whitening City). Convenience Store Woman won the 2016 Akutagawa Award. Murata has two short stories published in English (both translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori): "Lover on the Breeze" (Ruptured Fiction(s) of the Earthquake, Waseda Bungaku, 2011) and "A Clean Marriage" (Granta 127: Japan, 2014). 

https://twitter.com/sayakamurata

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before We Say Goodbye (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #4)

 

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before We Say Goodbye (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #4)

4⭐

Genre: Fiction, Mystical Realism, Asian Literature, East Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Short Stories, Book Series, Translated Books, Fantasy, Paranormal

Original Title: さよならも言えないうちに

Original Language: Japanese 

Translated by: Geoffrey Trousselot 

Pages: 192

Format: Paperback Proof

Publisher: Picador 

Date Published: 14th September 2023

Huge thank you to Picador for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

The regulars at Café Funiculi Funicula are well acquainted with the whimsical ability it grants them to take a trip into the past—as well as the strict rules involved, including that each traveller must return to the present in the time it takes for their coffee to get cold. In Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, patrons have been reunited with old flames, made amends with estranged family and visited loved ones. Now readers will once again be introduced to a new set of visitors.

The Husband with Something Important Left to Say

The Woman Who Couldn’t Bid Her Dog Farewell

The Woman Who Couldn’t Answer a Proposal

The Daughter Who Drove Her Father Away

In Last Chance to Say Goodbye, which is translated from Japanese by Geoffrey Trousselot and features signature heartwarming characters and wistful storytelling, Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: What would you change if you could travel back in time?

My Review: 

I adored Before the Coffee Gets Cold Series, as well as I love Japanese literature, and this book is no exception. It was so amazing to come back to the Funiculi Funicula café and reunite with the café’s owners, and its regulars, yet at the same time immerse myself in new stories about people who chose to travel back in time for various reasons.

In this book, there are four more stories of people who decided they want to travel back in time. We met a husband who wanted to tell something very important to his wife who is in a coma. We also met a woman who wanted to say goodbye to her dog but didn’t have a chance before. There was also a story about a girl who couldn’t say yes to her boyfriend’s proposal until it was too late and we learn about a daughter who regretted pushing her father away and wants to set wrongs to rights.

I didn’t think all the stories were as strong as in the first three books, but I particularly enjoyed the one about the girl wanting to meet her father and say what she actually felt before she pushed him away. It was such a great story that linked to a significant event from a recent Japanese history and was perfectly intertwined with the main point of the café – to say what you want to say but didn’t have a chance before it is too late.

Overall: I really enjoyed being back with the characters that I grew to love over the last three books and the stories themselves were unique, different to one another and very heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. I just wish there were more than four stories in each of the books as I love the style of writing, the mystical realism and how well the main characters are developed throughout this book. Truly recommend! 

About the Author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed, and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from an 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is his debut as an author. It has become an international bestseller and has been adapted for the screen in Japan.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/toshikazu-kawaguchi/28093

Rin Usami - Idol, Burning

Rin Usami - Idol, Burning 

4⭐

Genre: Japanese Literature, Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction 

Original Title: 推し、燃ゆ [Oshi, Moyu]

Original Language: Japanese 

Translated by: Asa Yoneda 

Pages: 144

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Canongate 

Date Published: 20th July 2023

Huge thank you to Canongate for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

High-school student Akari has only one passion in her life: her oshi, her idol. His name is Masaki Ueno, best known as one-fifth of Japanese pop group Maza Maza. Akari's dedication to her oshi consumes her days completely - until he disgraces himself and Akari's world goes into a tailspin.

My Review: 

This book was on my wishlist for ages, and I am so glad I finally had a chance to read it. It is so beautifully written and although it is a very short book, it packed so much in such a short length. This book explores idol culture yet at the same time draws a lot on cancel culture that happens quite often with celebrities and touches on social media’s role in both, cancel and idol cultures. Additionally, it explores mental health, obsession and anxiety…

The story follows a 16-year-old Akari who is obsessed with one of the members of the J-Pop band Maza Maza. Masaki is her idol and she has been obsessed with him ever since she saw him in the movie Peter Pan. Akari even runs a blog, which is quite popular, discussing and fangirling over her idol Masaki. However, suddenly she finds out from news outlets that her idol punched a fan. With no more details than that and just speculations from fans and media, Akari goes into a deep obsession and depression over her favourite idol. That’s where bits of Akari’s potential neurodivergence and mental health issues are discussed. She alienates herself from her family and friends even more than she used to and immerses even more in obsessing over Masaki, whilst trying to figure out who he is and whether everything she knows about him is true.

In this book, the author also points out the very thin line between consumerism and production…Fans both produce celebrities and can end their career just as easily, but then at the same time are used as consumers to make those celebrities as powerful and as famous as they are. Additionally, it shows the reality of being a fan and idolising someone to the point it becomes your new reality.

What stood out for me the most in this book is that Akari is labelled as ‘abnormal’ by other people and this, together with the fact that she doesn’t get any help when it comes to learning provisions in school or emotional support from her family, drives her to search for that support elsewhere, leading her to this obsession and idolisation of a celebrity.

However, I wish there was more gone into the incident of Masaki punching a fan, maybe how it happened and why it happened, all that leading to him and then the band being cancelled. Also, it would have been interesting to see what exactly Akari is struggling with and why her family is not willing to help her with that.

Overall: Very thought-provoking and interesting short book. I enjoyed learning and reading about different, yet important topics in our modern society, such as idol and cancel cultures, fandom toxicity, obsession, consumerism, mental health, and social media’s role in all of it. Just wished this book was longer and explored all these topics even more in depth. 

About the Author:

Rin Usami (b. 1999) was born in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Usami began writing novels in high school. Her debut novel Kaka, published in 2019, received the Yukio Mishima Prize, making her the youngest recipient in the award’s history. In 2020, at the age of 21, Usami won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for Idol, Burning. She lives in Tokyo. 

https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/rin-usami-20228291555826

Sayaka Murata - Convenience Store Woman

Sayaka Murata - Convenience Store Woman 

5 ⭐

Genre:  Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Translated Fiction, East Asian Literature 

Translated by: Ginny Tapley Takemori 

Original Title: コンビニ人間  Konbini Ningen 

Original Language: Japanese 

Pages: 107

Format: Kindle (Digital) 

Publisher: Granta Books 

Date Published: 1st January 2018

Book Blurb: 

Meet Keiko.

Keiko is 36 years old. She's never had a boyfriend, and she's been working in the same supermarket for eighteen years.

Keiko's family wishes she'd get a proper job. Her friends wonder why she won't get married.

But Keiko knows what makes her happy, and she's not going to let anyone come between her and her convenience store...

My Review: 

I love Japanese Literature, so I don’t know why I waited so long to read Convenience Store Woman or any of Sayaka Murata’s books for that matter. It didn’t disappoint. Loved the storytelling, love the narrative, loved the story setting. It was just superb. My only negative thing was that this book was so short and I read it in one sitting in less than 45mins.

The story follows Keiko, who is 36 and for the last 18 years worked part-time in the same convenience store. She loves the routine, loves her job is happy with her life. However, her family and friends think that she needs to be ‘cured’ and that she needs a family, a husband and a kid. Keiko notices that both her family and friends act differently around her and usually look down on her because she is different and because she isn’t married. Keiko knows she is different and she happily embraces that in her work that she adores, even if it angers her family or friends.

I loved Keiko’s character. She is so bright, kind and lovely. She takes her work seriously, but she also knows that it's the only thing that makes her happy and the only thing that she can do without faking. She doesn’t want the so-called ‘normal life’, which is prescribed to her by her culture. She just wants to be herself, and that is working at a convenience store.

I also loved the social commentary in this book about expectations in societies and certain cultures, especially what is seen as a ‘normal life’ that everyone needs to strive for. For Keiko, her friends and family pressure her into thinking that she isn’t normal because she is 36 without a family of her own and works in a dead-end job. They also judge her and look down on her like she is less than them. However, none of them asks what makes her happy.

Overall: Amazing book! The writing and storytelling capture so much in such a short book. The book itself also explores deeper issues ingrained in our society, as well as in Japanese culture. It also looks at certain expectations that society has of women and people with disabilities. I will be reading more of Sayaka Murata’s books but also, but I will be re-reading Convenience Store Woman, too. 

About the Author: 

Sayaka Murata (in Japanese, 村田 沙耶香) is one of the most exciting up-and-coming writers in Japan today. She herself still works part time in a convenience store, which gave her the inspiration to write Convenience Store Woman (Konbini Ningen). She debuted in 2003 with Junyu (Breastfeeding), which won the Gunzo Prize for new writers. In 2009 she won the Noma Prize for New Writers with Gin iro no uta (Silver Song), and in 2013 the Mishima Yukio Prize for Shiro-oro no machi no, sono hone no taion no (Of Bones, of Body Heat, of Whitening City). Convenience Store Woman won the 2016 Akutagawa Award. Murata has two short stories published in English (both translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori): "Lover on the Breeze" (Ruptured Fiction(s) of the Earthquake, Waseda Bungaku, 2011) and "A Clean Marriage" (Granta 127: Japan, 2014). 

https://twitter.com/sayakamurata

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #3)

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before Your Memory Fades (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #3)

5⭐

Genre: Fiction, Mystical Realism, Asian Literature, East Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Short Stories, Book Series, Translated Books, Fantasy, Paranormal

Original Title: 思い出が消えないうちに

Original Language: Japanese 

Translated by: Geoffrey Trousselot 

Pages: 224

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Picador 

Date Published: 30th August 2022

Huge thank you to Picador for sending me a copy of this book to read and review.

Book Blurb: 

The third novel in the international bestselling Before the Coffee Gets Cold series, follows four new customers in a cafe where customers can travel back in time.

In northern Japan, overlooking the spectacular view Hakodate Port has to offer, Cafe Donna Donna has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Tales from the Cafe comes another story of four new customers, each of whom is hoping to take advantage of the cafe's time-travelling offer. Among some familiar faces from Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s previous novels, readers will also be introduced to:

A daughter who couldn’t say ‘You’re an idiot.’
A comedian who couldn’t ask ‘Are you happy?’
A younger sister who couldn’t say ‘Sorry.’
A young man who couldn’t say ‘I like you.’

With his signature heart-warming characters and immersive storytelling, in Before Your Memory Fades, Toshikazu Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time?

My Review: 

OMG! The third book of the Before the Coffee Gets Cold series is even better than the last two. This usually doesn’t happen in the world of book series for me. However, I take that as an amazing thing. I love this series. It has everything that I love, it is set in Japan, it has mystical realism, it talks and discusses important subjects and the writing with translation are just superb.

This third instalment is slightly different from the first two, because the scene moves to rural northern Japan, to a Hakodate port by the hillside of the Mount. Hakodate. Nagare and Kazu, owners of the café in Tokyo are asked by the owner of Hakodate’s café to look after it, whilst she is away. Nagare and Kazu agree thus we meet a completely different group of customers who want to travel to the past or the future in this café. This café in Hakodate also has the same magical chair that can help you time travel. The rules are also the same.

In this book, we meet a daughter who wants to travel to see her dead parents and tell them how much she hates them. We also meet a successful comedian who wants to share his success with his wife who passed away and who he misses dearly. Additionally, we get to know a local boy who wants to travel into the past upon realizing that the girl who was by his side from a young age is the one for him, as well as, we get to read the story of two sisters, one of them passed away and the other is consumed with grief and need to hear from her deceased sister that it is alright to be happy.

I liked how much this book interlinked with the first two, as this made the move to another location so much more natural. I also really liked the change in scenery, as I think changing the location of the café made the stories of the customers fresher.

I felt that this book was concentrating more on grief, loss, and losing loved ones in comparison to the two previous books. I honestly, really liked this, as it explored different characters and how they all deal with loss and grief in their separate ways. It makes the book realistic and relatable. The only thing I hoped that this book would do, which it sadly didn’t explore, was the origin story of the ghost that sits in the time travel chair in this café in Hakodate.

The ending of this book was so heart-wrenching and I honestly shed a tear or two, as it was that beautiful and sad at the same time. It made me think about life and loss, whilst also remembering and cherishing all the good memories and moment that comes my way.

Overall: Another perfect read for windy autumn weather, whilst enjoying a frothy cup of coffee under a fluffy blanket. Such a lovely book, which has so much food for thought and so many lessons about life, loss, and grief. Loved it and hope that there will be more instalments of this series in the future as I will be keeping my eyes peeled for that. 

About the Author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed, and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from an 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is his debut as an author. It has become an international bestseller and has been adapted for the screen in Japan.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/toshikazu-kawaguchi/28093

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #2)

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before the Coffee Gets Cold: Tales from the Cafe (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #2)

5⭐

Genre: Fiction, Mystical Realism, Asian Literature, East Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Short Stories, Book Series, Translated Books, Fantasy, Paranormal

Original Title: この嘘がばれないうちに

Original Language: Japanese 

Translated by: Geoffrey Trousselot 

Pages: 192

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Picador 

Date Published: 17th September 2020

Book Blurb: 

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time...

From the author of Before the Coffee Gets Cold comes a story of four new customers each of whom is hoping to take advantage of Cafe Funiculi Funicula's time-travelling offer.

Among some faces that will be familiar to readers of Kawaguchi's previous novel, we will be introduced to:

The man who goes back to see his best friend who died 22 years ago
The son who was unable to attend his own mother’s funeral
The man who travelled to see the girl who he could not marry
The old detective who never gave his wife that gift...

This beautiful, simple tale tells the story of people who must face up to their past, in order to move on with their lives. Kawaguchi once again invites the reader to ask themselves: what would you change if you could travel back in time? 

My Review: 

I loved the first book but this second installment was even better. All four stories were heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time, as well as, covering so much depth when it comes to grief, loss, love, relationships, happiness, and illness. Each of the characters were so well explored and their stories are also so relatable.

The second installment of Before Coffee Gets Cold presents readers with four new customers in the café that want to time travel to the past or the future. In the first story, we meet a man who wants to visit his best friend and tell him about his daughter. The second story follows a boy who didn’t have a chance to go to his mother’s funeral but wants to see her one last time. The third story presents us with a soon-to-be husband who is also terminally ill and visits his fiancé in the future in the hope to see her happy without him. The fourth story follows a detective who is now retired and wants to travel to the past to give his wife one last gift for her last birthday that he sadly missed.

Loved that we get to learn more about Kazu, one of the café’s waitresses, as well as a backstory of the ghost that occupies the time-traveling chair. For me, Kazu’s backstory was a highlight of this second book. Also, Miki's character was just so adorable. She added so many good emotions and happiness to the café and customers, as well as changed the café’s mood from very mysterious as in the first book to very welcoming and homely, which was a very interesting change. I believe that these background stories about the café’s staff and the café itself just add so much atmosphere to the story and keep all the stories so well interconnected.

Overall: It is another heart-warming and heart-wrenching installment of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. I love mythical realism in Japanese literature and this series executed this so well. Mystical realism mixed with everyday characters and stories makes this book a perfect blend for the perfect autumn read. I loved it so much and recommend it to everyone that loves short stories, Japanese literature, and mystical realism. 

About the Author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from an 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is his debut as an author. It has become an international bestseller and has been adapted for the screen in Japan.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/toshikazu-kawaguchi/28093

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1)

Toshikazu Kawaguchi - Before the Coffee Gets Cold #1

4.5⭐

Genre: Fiction, Mystical Realism, Asian Literature, East Asian Literature, Japanese Literature, Short Stories, Book Series, Translated Books, Fantasy, Paranormal

Original Title: コーヒーが冷めないうちに

Original Language: Japanese

Translated by: Geoffrey Trousselot 

Pages: 213

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Picador 

Date Published: 19th September 2019 

Book Blurb: 

What would you change if you could go back in time?

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time.

In Before the Coffee Gets Cold, we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-travelling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, and receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . .

Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful, the moving story explores the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time? More importantly, who would you want to meet, maybe for one last time?

My Review: 

I have recently kindly been sent the third instalment of this series, Before Your Memory Fades, by Picador and decided to re-read the first two, to fully immerse myself into the plots and characters. I love mystical and magical realism and Japanese literature has plenty of that. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is not an exception. It brilliantly links mystical and magical realism with the important topics about life, loss, grief, forgiveness, second chances, and happiness. In only 200 pages this book has so much to give and so much food for thought about all of those topics. I loved it with all my heart.

The book follows four different stories all set in a small cafe in Tokyo. This cafe is not ordinary, it offers its customers a chance to travel in time, to the past and the future. However, there are strict rules that each customer needs to follow if they want to travel in time. They need to sit in a certain seat, they can’t change the future or the past and they can only travel to see people who previously visited this cafe. Oh…and they need to come back from the time travel before their coffee gets cold.

In this first instalment, we meet a girl who wants to travel back in time to tell her boyfriend not to leave her for work abroad opportunity. We also meet a wife that travels into the past to talk to her husband who is slowly losing his memory to Alzheimer’s. The third story is about a sister who wants to visit her younger sister who passed away one last time to make amends. The fourth story is about a mother who wants to travel into the future to visit her daughter, who she might never meet otherwise.

I loved that each of the stories has a lesson behind it and very gently discusses all the subjects of life, death, loss, grief, etc. Each story is very touching and features characters that as a reader you can easily relate to. One rule of the cafe is that you cannot change the past or the future no matter what, but although you can't change what happened or what might happen, travelling to the past or the future for these characters most of the time offers something better. Some characters got closure, some wanted forgiveness and some wanted to get permission to be happy from their loved ones. So, even though the past or the future didn’t change for those characters, seeing and speaking to a person they wanted to visit one last time, changed something within them, allowing each of them to move on in their way.

I also loved the atmospheric setting of the cafe and the fact that all of the stories and characters are somehow interconnected, which just shows that life is not as simple as we think it is. Stories also give a glimpse into the cafe's past and its owners, which just adds so much to the overall atmosphere and mysticism of this cafe.

Overall: It is a very unique book and has all the things that I love about Japanese literature.  Each of the stories in this book taught me something different and each of them allowed me to look at life, grief, loss, love and relationships in a different way. Heart-warming book that should be on everyone’s bookshelf and definitely a perfect read for long autumn nights. 

About the Author:

Toshikazu Kawaguchi (in Japanese: 川口 俊 和) was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1971. He formerly produced, directed and wrote for the theatrical group Sonic Snail. As a playwright, his works include COUPLE, Sunset Song, and Family Time. The novel Before the Coffee Gets Cold is adapted from an 1110 Productions play by Kawaguchi, which won the 10th Suginami Drama Festival grand prize. Before the Coffee Gets Cold is his debut as an author. It has become an international bestseller and has been adapted for the screen in Japan.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/toshikazu-kawaguchi/28093

Laura Imai Messina - The Phone Box at the Edge of the World

Laura Imai Messina - The Phone Box at the Edge of the World 

3.5⭐

Genre: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Asian Literature, Mystical Realism

Original Title: Quel Che Affidiamo al Vento

Original Language: Italian 

Translated by: Lucy Rand 

Pages: 416 

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Manilla Press 

Date Published: 4th March 2021 

Book Blurb: 

We all have something to tell those we have lost.

On a windy hill in Japan, in a garden overlooking the sea stands a disused phone box. For years, people have travelled to visit the phone box, to pick up the receiver and speak into the wind: to pass their messages to loved ones no longer with us.

When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she is plunged into despair and wonders how she will ever carry on. One day she hears of the phone box and decides to make her own pilgrimage there, to speak once more to the people she loved the most. But when you have lost everything, the right words can be the hardest thing to find.

Then she meets Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss. What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking.

My Review: 

I really liked this book but I was a bit disappointed, as I had so much higher expectations for it. Not going to lie, it is written in a very simple and rather beautiful language, capturing different emotions experienced by people when they lose loved ones. It nicely explored the grief and loss of the main two characters, as well as the grief and loss of the people they met in the Phone Box on the edge of the world. However, it had the perfect setting and premise to dig deeper into the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami and how the day-to-day lives of communities across Japan were affected by it. All of that was mentioned but only very minimally through the main character and one side character. When I heard about this book and when I got it, from the blurb and reviews I expected it to be all about how the Phone Box was helping people to deal with the losses of their loved ones during that particular disaster.

The book follows Yui who lost her mother and her daughter during a Tohoku Tsunami in 2011. Although a few years have passed, she still doesn’t feel like she can forget or let the memory of them both go. She still hopes to see them and although she knows she will not see them again, she tells herself she can’t be happy because they aren’t here with her to be happy too. Then one day she hears about this Phone Box that someone has built in their garden. The Phone Box attracts so many people who are mourning their loved ones and want to have one last conversation with them. Yui decides to go and use the Phone Box to talk to her mother and daughter. On the way there she meets Takeshi, a father and a husband, who lost his wife and whose daughter refuses to speak after her mother died. Yui and Takeshi straight away connect and understand each other as they start their journey to the Phone Box at the Edge of the World. Throughout their journey and the years that followed, they meet numerous people who are visiting the Phone Box to talk to their loved ones, to give up the grief or just to remember the good moments, because everyone's grief is different…

I liked the mythical realism element added to this book, as it is believed that the Phone Box carries a person's voice to their lost loved ones. Also, the fact that this Phone Box can help people with grief and loss just melted my heart.

I hoped that this story would be more heart-wrenching than it is. I also hoped that it was going to explore the lives of the communities who were affected by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami and how the Phone Box helped them to deal with grief and loss. I also hoped more would happen in the book, like more of a story with the two main characters and how they needed each other to overcome the grief and more conversations that they had to help each other with loss. It just felt at times that their relationship was a bit rushed and their need for each other wasn’t properly explained. Other than that, it is a very beautifully written story with a very interesting premise.

Overall: I liked this book even though it didn’t meet my expectations fully. It is still very well written and touches just the right heartstrings. It also explores grief and loss in a very interesting but also beautiful way with bits of mythical realism added. I also really liked the friendships Yui and Takeshi made with people who visited this Phone Box when they were there. Also, the fact that the book is based on the Phone Box that exists in real life is very interesting. I recommend this book if you want to read a beautifully written book with not much going on, but that deeply explores grief and loss and how people deal with it in different ways.

About the Author:

Laura Imai Messina was born in Rome and graduated in Literature from La Sapienza University. She moved to Tokyo at the age of twenty-three to perfect the language and has been permanently living in Japan ever since. She obtained a first-level doctorate in Comparative Cultures at the International Christian University with a thesis on the Japanese writer Ogawa Yōko and at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies a PhD with a comparative thesis on the subject of materiality in Japanese and European literature.

https://www.lauraimaimessina.com/