Scan barcode
afternoondreamer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, and Stalking
Minor: Cancer and Suicidal thoughts
booksandbulletjournaling's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
vaekay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Stalking, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Deadnaming, Medical content, Murder, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Cancer
lidia7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This book was a mixed bag for me.
I can see that the author had good intentions but parts of this book did not age well, one of the main characters who is trans is othered, misgendered and her deadname is shared. Her coworker gets a similar treatment. Given that in the second novella (Moonlight Shadow) there's a similar character who is a man grieving for his girlfriend and wearing her clothes, the fact that Eriko transitioned after her wife's death strikes me as odd because it's almost as if it's suggested that Eriko is still a woman because she couldn't let go of her dead wife while Hiiragi stops wearing his girlfriend's clothes once he gets the chance to say goodbye and it's implied he moves on. There's also Eriko's murder, how lgbt characters's lives are often portrayed as tragic and are brutalized in order to move the plot forward? Still, violence against trans women is a real societal issue and it's good to bring awareness to it. I just don't think Banana Yoshimoto was educated enough on trans issues and possibly didn't even know the difference between a trans woman and a drag queen...
Everything I mentioned before *really* took me out of the story so I couldn't connect. I wish the story would be revised at least a little.
The message overall is hopeful even though we follow grieving and lonely characters who are understandably depressed. Kind of reminded me of James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room or Kafka's Metamorphosis - both books and authors that I love but I couldn't love this book. I haven't read a lot of Japanese books but there's a recognizable style. Very hard-hitting, getting to the core of feelings but from a somewhat detached perspective and at times "cheesy".
Graphic: Grief, Transphobia, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Stalking, Murder, Car accident, and Alcohol
queenkath32's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Hate crime
iw4kur4l4in's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Death
Minor: Cancer, Alcohol, Hate crime, and Terminal illness
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Transphobia, Cancer, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Murder, Violence, Death, Grief, and Hate crime
recycled_personalities's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Alcohol, Murder, Alcoholism, Medical content, Bullying, Grief, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Medical trauma, Transphobia, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Death, and Hate crime
chikin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Transphobia, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, and Hate crime
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Death, Transphobia, Hate crime, and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Car accident, Deadnaming, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Violence, and Medical content
Minor: Stalking and Animal death