Cynthia Hand - Nezemiskoji (Nezemiskoji #1)

Cynthia Hand - Nezemiskoji (Nezemiskoji #1) 

5⭐

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Books Series, Supernatural 

Original Title: Unearthly 

Original Language: English 

Translated by: Aurelija Kuzbariene 

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Publisher: Alma Littera 

Date Published: 1st June 2012

 

Book Blurb: 

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees...
Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

My Review: 

Ok, so the Unearthly book series were my favourite when I was a teen… In 2013 I was obsessed with this book and I probably read it like 10 times if not more. So, I thought it was time to put my nostalgic cap on and re-read it again, just to see if after nearly 10 years I still like it as much as I did before. Honestly speaking, I did like it a lot, maybe not as much as I used before, but for me, it is still a solid 5-star book and one of the best paranormal/fantasy YA series about angels and demons.

In this first book, we meet Clara, who recently learned from her mother that she is a part angel. Her angel blood allows her to have special powers, but at the same time as an angel, she has a purpose, a task, that she needs to complete. However, figuring out what that task is, is not easy. There are no instructions or manuals on how to be an angel. Thus, Clara must figure it out herself, whilst seeing visions of a mysterious guy in a forest fire. This leads her to a small town where she meets a guy from her vision. Yet, it's not as simple as it seems, Clara will have to face dangers, lies, drama, and deceit in order to figure out her own purpose and task, and how the mysterious guy is related to all of it.

I loved how easy to read this book was. I also loved that the romance part of the book isn’t presented until more than halfway through the book, which allows readers to get to know Clara, her powers and her family better. I felt that the main characters of this book were very well presented and developed from the get-go of this book. I really liked Clara, as although, she is smarter and stronger than everyone else, she also doesn’t shy from her flaws and is very humble. Additionally, I liked the mystery effect of not telling the readers much about the angels and their purpose on Earth at the start of the book, but slowly revealing crumbs and bits of information throughout the book.

Overall: Still one of my favourite books/series from my teen years, and I can’t wait to reread the other two books in this series. It was such a nostalgic read. 

About the Author:

Cynthia Hand is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for teens, including the UNEARTHLY trilogy, THE LAST TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, MY LADY JANE, MY PLAIN JANE, MY CALAMITY JANE, MY CONTRARY MARY, and MY IMAGINARY MARY (with fellow authors Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows), THE AFTERLIFE OF HOLLY CHASE, THE HOW AND THE WHY, WITH YOU ALL THE WAY, and the upcoming TIMELESS and MY SALTY MARY (also with Ashton and Meadows). Before turning to writing for young adults, she studied literary fiction and earned both an M.F.A. and a Ph.D. in fiction writing. She currently resides in Boise, Idaho, with her husband, two cats, one crazy dog, two kids, and mountain of books.

http://www.cynthiahandbooks.com/

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

Nona Fernandez - Voyager: Constellations Of Memory

Nona Fernandez - Voyager: Constellations Of Memory  

5 ⭐

Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Latin American Literature, Translated Literature 

Translated by: Natasha Wimmer  

Original Title: Mapa de Las Lenguas 

Original Language: Spanish 

Pages: 126

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Daunt Books Publishing 

Date Published: 21st February 2023

Huge Thank You to Daunt Books Publishing for a copy. 

Book Blurb: 

A startling book-length essay, at once grand and intimate, from National Book Award finalist Nona Fernández.

Voyager begins with Nona Fernández accompanying her elderly mother to the doctor to seek an explanation for her frequent falls and inability to remember what preceded them. As the author stares at the image of her mother’s brain scan, it occurs to her that the electrical signals shown on the screen resemble the night sky.

Inspired by the mission of the Voyager spacecrafts, Fernández begins a process of observation and documentation. She describes a recent trip to the remote Atacama desert—one of the world’s best spots for astronomical observation—to join people who, like her, hope to dispel the mythologized history of Chile’s new democracy. Weaving together the story of her mother’s illness with story of her country and of the cosmos itself, Fernández braids astronomy and astrology, neuroscience and memory, family history and national history into this brief but intensely imagined autobiographical essay. Scrutinizing the mechanisms of personal, civic, and stellar memory, she insists on preserving the truth of what we’ve seen and experienced and finding ways to recover what people and countries often prefer to forget.

In Voyager, Fernández finds a new container for her profound and surreal reckonings with the past. One of the great chroniclers of our day, she has written a rich and resonant book.

My Review: 

This book is something else! So beautiful and lyrical! Honestly, I wish I could give it the whole constellation of stars and not just a mere 5 stars. The writing is just superb and hits just the right heartstrings at the right times. I even cried reading this...that’s how impactful and beautiful Fernandez's words are!

Memoir in a book-length essay about constellations in the sky, the cosmos, the meaning of life, memories and much more. Fernandez also touches on her mother’s illness, mythologised history of Chile’s new democracy, the importance to remember the past and people who are lost but not completely gone from our memories and from the stars.

I loved how Fernandez managed to link all of the topics that don’t seem to fit with each other, so perfectly together, as well as making the reader think outside the box. I adore her lyrical writing and making this memoir flow through the galaxy-like spacecraft that is step-by-step opening of all the secrets about our humans and Earth's beginnings. This book definitely made me think a lot about myself, my own perceptions and my own memories. Honestly, it just makes you think deeply about everything, as well as question your own mind.

Overall: It is so hard to put into words how amazing this book is and how touching it is to read those lyrical and beautifully crafted words. Honestly, you need to pick this book up yourself to explore its true brilliance. Loved it so much!

About the Author: 

Nona Fernández was born in Santiago, Chile. She is an actress and writer and has published two plays, a collection of short stories, and six novels, including Space Invaders and The Twilight Zone, which was awarded the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Prize. Space Invaders was also longlisted for the 2019 National Book Awards for Translated Literature. The Twilight Zone was a finalist for the 2021 National Book Award for Translated Literature. 

https://dauntbookspublishing.co.uk/authors/nona-fernandez

Muriel Barbery - A Single Rose

Muriel Barbery - A Single Rose 

4⭐

Genre: Fiction, Mystical Realism,  Translated Books, Contemporary Fiction, French Literature, Novella  

Original Title: Une Rose Seule

Original Language: French 

Translated by: Alison Anderson 

Pages: 144

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Gallic Books 

Date Published: 19th January 2023

 

      Thank you to Gallic Books for sending me a copy of this book to read and review. 

Book Blurb: 

From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes a story about a woman's journey to discover the father she never knew and a love she never thought possible.

Rose has just turned forty when she gets a call from a lawyer asking her to come to Kyoto for the reading of her estranged father's will. And so for the first time in her life, she finds herself in Japan, where Paul, her father's assistant, is waiting to greet her.

As Paul guides Rose along a mysterious itinerary designed by her deceased father, her bitterness and anger are soothed by the stones and the trees in the Zen gardens they move through. During their walks, Rose encounters acquaintances of her father--including a potter and poet, an old lady friend, his housekeeper and chauffeur--whose interactions help her to slowly begin to accept a part of herself that she has never before acknowledged.

As the reading of the will gets closer, Rose's father finally, posthumously, opens his heart to his daughter, offering her a poignant understanding of his love and a way to accept all she has lost.

My Review: 

This story perfectly mixes mystical realism and ancient Japanese culture with the feelings and emotions of someone who is going through grief and their healing process. I love Japanese mystical realism and their culture to believe in ghosts, spirits and the afterlife. I also adored how the author sets every scene, whilst transporting the reader straight into the set. The descriptions of zen gardens, temples, streets, restaurants and nature made me feel like I am in Kyoto there with Rose experiencing what she is experiencing. Such superb writing!

This book follows Rose who travels to Kyoto, Japan for her late fathers will reading. In France, she was a lost soul, with no family, no purpose in life, no kids and no family that left…Rose feels like all she is here for is pain and loneliness…However, whilst in Kyoto, before her father’s will is read, her father actually left her a letter and asked his assistant Paul to show Rose around Kyoto, visiting the places that were significant in Rose’s father’s life. In this way, Rose’s father hoped that Rose will get to know him more and make up for the lost time and the fact that she never met him when he was alive. Paul takes Rose on different adventures around Kyoto and all the places her father wanted her to visit, whilst Rose slowly starts to find herself. She also starts reflecting on her life, and her purpose and slowly understands her connection to her father and Japan.

Although the book is very short (novella length) it felt like a full-sized book, as there was so much packed into every page. So many feelings, descriptions, scenery, and culture packed into this story.  I loved that this book was about a character who is trying to find themselves, whilst also going through grief and loss. Personally, I could relate to this book so much. However, this book is not only a journey of self-discovery, acceptance and love, it is also a story of finding a place to belong, finding your soulmate and discovering a new culture and traditions, all mixed with a bit of Japanese mystical realism.

Overall: Excellent short book for escapism, that tells a story about self-discovery, love, belonging, grief and loss, whilst also exploring Japanese culture and traditions with a bit of mystical realism. Beautiful writing and scene setting, with loads of descriptions of flowers and a sprinkle of Japanese folk stories. 

About the Author:

Muriel Barbery is the author of four previous novels, including the IMPAC-shortlisted multimillion-copy bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog.

She has lived in Kyoto, Amsterdam and Paris and now lives in the French countryside.

https://belgraviabooks.com/writer/muriel-barbery?i=1

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/

Kim Hye-jin - Concerning My Daughter

Kim Hye-jin - Concerning My Daughter 

5⭐

Genre: Korean Literature, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Asia Literature, LGBTQIA+, K-Drama

Original Title: 딸에 대하여

Original Language: Korean

Translated by: Jamie Chang 

Pages:  176

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Picador 

Date Published: 14th April 2022 

Book Blurb: 

When an ageing mother allows her thirty-something daughter to move into her apartment, she wants for her what many mothers might say they want for their child: a steady income, and, even better, a good husband with a good job with whom to start a family.

But when Green turns up with her girlfriend, Lane, in tow, her mother is unprepared and unwilling to welcome Lane into her home. In fact, she can barely bring herself to be civil. Having centred her life on her husband and child, her daughter’s definition of family is not one she can accept. Her daughter’s involvement in a case of unfair dismissal involving gay colleagues from the university where she works is similarly strange to her.

And yet when the care home where she works insists that she lower her standard of care for an elderly dementia patient who has no family, who travelled the world as a successful diplomat, and who chose not to have children, Green’s mother cannot accept it. Why should not having chosen a traditional life mean that your life is worth nothing at all? 

My Review: 

Just love translated fiction, especially Asian fiction. Concerning my daughter is no exception. I loved it so much as in a few short pages this book tackled so many issues and made me go through so many emotions. It took me a few days after reading this novella to gather my thoughts on it and rethink everything that was discussed and that’s how powerful this book is. 

This novella follows a Korean mother in her seventies who struggles with her health yet works long hours in a care home taking care of elderly and ill patients. She is never named in the book but we know that she has a daughter that she worries about. Her daughter is gay and for the last seven years living with a girlfriend called Lane. The mother is blaming herself that her daughter is different, that her daughter is in her thirties but doesn’t want a normal family, a husband and children. She also blames herself that her daughter alongside her work fights for LGBTQ+ rights. The mother also blames Lane for making her daughter not want a husband and kids. She also blames Lane for making her daughter gay. 

Throughout the book, the mother is struggling to accept her daughter's sexuality and life choices. We see her battling with herself, her morals, her upbringing, traditions and societal expectations of her generation, as well as her love for her daughter and wanting her daughter to have a good and respectful life. It is very interesting to see how her emotions and thinking process change throughout the book too as she sees how her daughter is discriminated outside of the home environment by others, such as her job, society and other people. 

It was very interesting to see the thought process of the mother and see her going through all those emotions and moods when she is dealing with the fact that her daughter is gay. It is the first book ever that I have read that is exploring this point of view of a loved one getting in terms of their loved one’s sexuality. 

Also, it was so interesting to read about the cultural and societal differences, especially to see how differently society is seeing and treating the LGBTQ+ community in Korea when compared to Western countries like the USA and the UK. Also, not only the marginalisation of LGBTQ+ communities but also the marginalisation of elderly people and seeing them as burdens is heavily discussed in this book, which was very interesting to read as I wasn’t familiar with Korean culture around that subject. 

I learned a lot from this book about Korean culture, generational perceptions and issues that are present there. I love reading about different cultures and societies; thus, this book was perfect in that educational aspect. 

Overall: Very powerful and important book, exploring the mother’s emotions and perspectives whilst she is getting into terms of her daughter being gay. Definitely a perfect book when it comes to educating yourself on Korean culture, and current social issues in Korean society, such as the marginalisation of LGBTQ+ communities and elderly people. Can’t wait to read more Asian-translated fiction about these topics and learn more about Korean culture and society. 

About the Author:

Kim Hye-jin was born in Daegu, Korea, in 1983. She debuted in 2012 when her story ‘Chicken Run’ won Dong-A Ilbo’s Spring Literary Award. She won the Joongang Novel Prize for Joongang Station, and the Shin Dong-yup Prize for Literature for Concerning My Daughter.

https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/kim-hyejin/41542