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itspronouncedtessa's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, Suicide, Terminal illness, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
errie's review against another edition
dark
reflective
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Medical content, and Medical trauma
lottiegasp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book depicts a world in the midst of a global pandemic, shifting from in each chapter to the perspective of a completely new set of characters, occasionally with some links to previous characters. Most of the characters are Japanese or Japanese American, like the author. Eventually it takes us further into the future from speculative fiction to full-on science-fiction as new technologies are used to manage, escape or cope with this virus-ridden world.
The book was well-written and captured various emotions and experiences about loss, feeling inadequate, and complicated relationships.
I generally prefer a story with enduring characters over slice of life vignettes, so I was not able to completely engage with the book. However, the ending did end up tying things together in quite an interesting and satisfying way.
The book was well-written and captured various emotions and experiences about loss, feeling inadequate, and complicated relationships.
I generally prefer a story with enduring characters over slice of life vignettes, so I was not able to completely engage with the book. However, the ending did end up tying things together in quite an interesting and satisfying way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, Suicide, Chronic illness, Grief, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Death of parent
singrequiem's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
If you want to be emotionally devastated in just the most beautiful way over and over again - then this is the book for you. Gorgeous. I may come back and finish this when I am emotionally stable enough to really give it the proper review it deserves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Medical trauma, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Chronic illness, Grief, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, Addiction, Animal death, Suicide attempt, Blood, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Murder
Minor: Classism and Colonisation
There are graphic descriptions of decomposition and bodily changes in a detached, clinical way. (Alongside less detached scenes)kierstyn's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I really had to hype myself up to speed read finish this book. I really wanted to quit when there were a few chapters left.
this book is about a pandemic that breaks out across earth and through different chapters we see how the pandemic affects different Japanese families around the world in different years after the pandemic hits. this book is sad and full of grief. it also introduces far-fetched future ideas like talking pigs, a disease that turns hearts into lungs, and rollercoasters to kill children.
I am so disappointed because on chapter 1 I was like omg this is gonna be a 5 star book. but my rating kept going down and down as the chapters went on.
every single chapter explores the same theme (grief and loved ones dying) but with different characters and a different setting. it's very repetitive and some chapters I was just like wtf am I reading??
there are only 2-3 chapters with women as the main characters. there are no queer characters and everyone is in a hetero relationship. each character talks exactly the same so I cannot distinguish one person from the next.
the last chapter felt like it was from another book altogether.
this may be a good book for you to read if you're struggling with grief or if you lost a loved one in the pandemic. it may help you know you are not alone in your feelings. but other than that I wouldn't recommend it.
this book is about a pandemic that breaks out across earth and through different chapters we see how the pandemic affects different Japanese families around the world in different years after the pandemic hits. this book is sad and full of grief. it also introduces far-fetched future ideas like talking pigs, a disease that turns hearts into lungs, and rollercoasters to kill children.
I am so disappointed because on chapter 1 I was like omg this is gonna be a 5 star book. but my rating kept going down and down as the chapters went on.
every single chapter explores the same theme (grief and loved ones dying) but with different characters and a different setting. it's very repetitive and some chapters I was just like wtf am I reading??
there are only 2-3 chapters with women as the main characters. there are no queer characters and everyone is in a hetero relationship. each character talks exactly the same so I cannot distinguish one person from the next.
the last chapter felt like it was from another book altogether.
this may be a good book for you to read if you're struggling with grief or if you lost a loved one in the pandemic. it may help you know you are not alone in your feelings. but other than that I wouldn't recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
lilifane's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What a fascinating concept. I really love these kinds of works.
This is basically a short story collection in which each story is connected to the others in some way. These might be just little references to things we've read before, or deeper connections you only figure out later. And that's actually my favorite sort of short story collection.
All of these stories were also connected by recurring themes. Most prevalent life, death and grief. But also love, family and friendship. Additionally, very story was tied to a pandemic outbreak at the beginning of the book and how this event influenced the way people live and die in the future. The stories itself were little glimpses in the lives of their protagonists. We only get to see a small part of a specific time in their lives, and to me, every story felt very personal and intimate. You see how these people struggle, but also change the lives of others around them in small and big ways.
But it was definitely a very bleak and depressing read for the majority of the book. With a little bit of hope sprinkled into it. It was hard to read sometimes, and it took me longer than expected, just because I needed breaks to do something fun in between the stories.
This is basically a short story collection in which each story is connected to the others in some way. These might be just little references to things we've read before, or deeper connections you only figure out later. And that's actually my favorite sort of short story collection.
All of these stories were also connected by recurring themes. Most prevalent life, death and grief. But also love, family and friendship. Additionally, very story was tied to a pandemic outbreak at the beginning of the book and how this event influenced the way people live and die in the future. The stories itself were little glimpses in the lives of their protagonists. We only get to see a small part of a specific time in their lives, and to me, every story felt very personal and intimate. You see how these people struggle, but also change the lives of others around them in small and big ways.
But it was definitely a very bleak and depressing read for the majority of the book. With a little bit of hope sprinkled into it. It was hard to read sometimes, and it took me longer than expected, just because I needed breaks to do something fun in between the stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Abandonment, Confinement, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Terminal illness
ineedmorecoffee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this book. I really, really loved it. Somehow it manages to magnify individual lives and span across multiple universes, tied together by spider webs. It’s left me feeling reflective about life, death and family…it’ll hang around in my consciousness for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Cancer, Body horror, Child death, and Death of parent
christynhoover's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was the audiobook and I didn't give it the concentrated attention that it probably deserved.
It was part dystopian and part speculative fiction. Eventually I recognized that descendents of earlier characters were appearing in the story line so it unfolds as a collection of connected stories over maybe a 100-year period in the course of the book.
The most interesting part was that there is what I'll call a novel micro-organism that causes a worldwide pandemic (called "plague" in the book) that was generally fatal and how individuals dealt with mortality knocking at their door So a kind of story for/of our time! But by midway or so in the book the storyline is in the AFTERMATH of the plague with individuals looking back on it, etc.
There was a thread of a focus on LOVE --characters making it a point to TELL others that they love them and, in some cases, characters expressing REGRET at NOT telling someone that they loved them. That softened the tone of the book for me.
It was part dystopian and part speculative fiction. Eventually I recognized that descendents of earlier characters were appearing in the story line so it unfolds as a collection of connected stories over maybe a 100-year period in the course of the book.
The most interesting part was that there is what I'll call a novel micro-organism that causes a worldwide pandemic (called "plague" in the book) that was generally fatal and how individuals dealt with mortality knocking at their door So a kind of story for/of our time! But by midway or so in the book the storyline is in the AFTERMATH of the plague with individuals looking back on it, etc.
There was a thread of a focus on LOVE --characters making it a point to TELL others that they love them and, in some cases, characters expressing REGRET at NOT telling someone that they loved them. That softened the tone of the book for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Terminal illness, Animal death, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Grief, Death, and Death of parent
horizonous's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Animal death, and Child death
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Racism, Car accident, Drug abuse, Infidelity, and Murder
annagerman's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This was kind of disappointing.
I liked it at first, but gradually it started to feel very "one-note".
I didn't really connected with the novel-as-interconnected stories concept.
The writing was very simple, nothing memorable. Many of the sci-fi concepts were banal and uroriginal. Most of the characters were plain and insignificant, they blended into one for me.
The atmosphere was really good, and there were a few touching moments, but they lacked gravity and felt a bit like melodramatic tear-jerker (i.e. dying robo-dogs, dying children, dying telepathic pigs).
I feel like it had more potential, like it was too ambitious and could have been better if it was scaled down and focused deeper on 2-3 main plot points and characters.
I liked it at first, but gradually it started to feel very "one-note".
I didn't really connected with the novel-as-interconnected stories concept.
The writing was very simple, nothing memorable. Many of the sci-fi concepts were banal and uroriginal. Most of the characters were plain and insignificant, they blended into one for me.
The atmosphere was really good, and there were a few touching moments, but they lacked gravity and felt a bit like melodramatic tear-jerker (i.e. dying robo-dogs, dying children, dying telepathic pigs).
I feel like it had more potential, like it was too ambitious and could have been better if it was scaled down and focused deeper on 2-3 main plot points and characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Child death, Death, and Medical content