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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Suicide
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this isn't anything exceptional but the prose is absolutely beautiful and the simplicity in the words and storyline is calming in a way that makes you want to keep reading. there's no chapters in this book, and i kind of liked having it just continue on sporadically with the reader having to piece together the character's timeline. i love a book where the main character is reflecting on their life for its entirety, and even with such a short book (~180 pages), i felt i gained enough insight to understand Kazu's life. it's a commentary on homelessness and poverty, specifically in Japan (Tokyo), and i liked looking at these issues through the lens of one person (a ghost, to be specific) to get a more personal and deeper understanding of the experience. how sad it is that Kazu is treated the same dead as when he was alive and homeless. it's a very surface-level book but it doesn't pretend to be anything it's not. i got through most of it on a train ride so it's a quick read but enjoyable.
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So many historical, cultural, and religious details made this short, depressing story a tedious one to get through. I appreciated much more the personal insights (fragmented as they were) of the “ghost” protagonist and the heartbreaking commentary on grief and how society treats the unhoused. Maybe I read it too fast, but I didn’t entirely understand the ending.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, War