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froon's review against another edition
3.0
“i loved the concept more than the book” all of us reviewers say in harmony.
you can tell yu has a passion about the topics she writes about, specifically the story of fukushima and the homeless in ueno station. and she has moments of beautiful heartbreak and philosophy woven through the novel. however, missing is something to ground the narrative. instead, it feels more a sequence of poetic thoughts, tied together by two significant moments (koichi’s dead and kazu’s suicide ). unfortunately, the characters aren’t enough to carry this plotlessness, as kazu is mainly passive and the side characters are mostly one-off appearances.
i did like the cyclical nature of the story. it felt very apt for a narrative of this nature. also, kazu’s absence from his family’s life was a moving and devastating portrait of the sacrifice the poor must make for the hope of stability. those moments will stick with me the most.
overall, this is overwhelming successful for a “blind date with a book” read imo, so i’m going to be ending on this high note and never do that again!
you can tell yu has a passion about the topics she writes about, specifically the story of fukushima and the homeless in ueno station. and she has moments of beautiful heartbreak and philosophy woven through the novel. however, missing is something to ground the narrative. instead, it feels more a sequence of poetic thoughts, tied together by two significant moments (
i did like the cyclical nature of the story. it felt very apt for a narrative of this nature. also, kazu’s absence from his family’s life was a moving and devastating portrait of the sacrifice the poor must make for the hope of stability. those moments will stick with me the most.
overall, this is overwhelming successful for a “blind date with a book” read imo, so i’m going to be ending on this high note and never do that again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
partyarlie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
beautiful writing, so many quotes that I know will stick with me. the writing was a bit hard to follow at times since it jumped around in the story a lot, but it also just reminded me of how the mind wanders, so I enjoyed it. a very sad and heavy read that i would very much recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Suicide
kukazashi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Death, Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Murder, and Physical abuse
meaghanelizabook's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal death, Child death, and Suicide
apersonfromflorida's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Animal death
kitpotter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed several aspects of this book, including the descriptive writing and exploration of Japanese daily life, culture, and history. However, I struggled with the constantly shifting stream of consciousness and frequently felt lost. The ending stunned and moved me, and I am still reflecting on Kazu's decision.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Abandonment
crystalndolis's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I found the structure of the book really interesting. The switching between current ghost-status musings by Kazu with his past memories of being alive and the suffering he experienced made for an interesting narrative. Overall it was a sad life for him, and made the inequities in Japan a main part of his story, too. I wish more characters/motives were more fleshed out, but maybe that was the point. Just trying to survive for him made him not have a lot of personality or goals for life, which is a point in itself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Child death and Suicide
deannawalton's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Child death, Animal death, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
shxndrareads's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
A good read but not recommended for those looking for a plot driven book. Book is focused on the main character. I would say it was a good enough read to not DNF but will probably not pick it up anytime soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
brettie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide