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amandadevoursbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a slim book that packs a punch. I read the translated text.
Kazu is dead. He is haunting the place that he killed himself, Tokyo Ueno Station and Park. The book is mashup of a memoir and a slice of life novel. Kazu tells us about his life and his memories as he relates the conversations he observes first a homeless person and second as a literal ghost.
It is a beautifully constructed story that is a story of migrations and their impacts on families. It presents the stark differences between Kazu's life and that of the Japanese royal family, and it lays out the life of a poorer man doing the best he can to support his family in the face of societal change.
Some of the most interesting passages to me highlight how diverse Japanese culture is. A lot of times as a Westerner, we see the food, the music, the art, and we never see the family dynamics. This book peels the curtain back a little so we get a glimpse of a complex, dynamic culture.
I just wanted Kazu to catch a break. He never does, and the ending is gutrenching
Kazu is dead. He is haunting the place that he killed himself, Tokyo Ueno Station and Park. The book is mashup of a memoir and a slice of life novel. Kazu tells us about his life and his memories as he relates the conversations he observes first a homeless person and second as a literal ghost.
It is a beautifully constructed story that is a story of migrations and their impacts on families. It presents the stark differences between Kazu's life and that of the Japanese royal family, and it lays out the life of a poorer man doing the best he can to support his family in the face of societal change.
Some of the most interesting passages to me highlight how diverse Japanese culture is. A lot of times as a Westerner, we see the food, the music, the art, and we never see the family dynamics. This book peels the curtain back a little so we get a glimpse of a complex, dynamic culture.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Animal death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Xenophobia, and Death
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