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anna_hepworth's review
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
The story of a young man who survived the bombing of Hiroshima, slipping between the bombing and the aftermath, and the present day (set as 2018).
This was a quick read, not least because all of the present day story is written as poem. I respect the artistic choice of that, but I also hated it. I felt it left me outside the story, with no way to engage, and as such I really didn't click with the modern day part of the story.
I also get the artistic choice for the very pat ending, because it is important that that is what the story is working towards. (if this is a middle grade book, then that makes sense; it did not read as a middle grade book, especially given the way that the author's intro was written).
This was a quick read, not least because all of the present day story is written as poem. I respect the artistic choice of that, but I also hated it. I felt it left me outside the story, with no way to engage, and as such I really didn't click with the modern day part of the story.
I also get the artistic choice for the very pat ending, because it is important that that is what the story is working towards. (if this is a middle grade book, then that makes sense; it did not read as a middle grade book, especially given the way that the author's intro was written).
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Death and Cancer
taulkstoomuch's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I read this book in one sitting, and I cried in that sitting also.
As much as I wish the ending to be true, I wonder if it is realistic, I really pray with all my being that it is. This book is such an important piece of writing. At first I was sceptical that I was reading about such an important Japanese event from a non-Japanese author but the way it has been written has convinced me otherwise.
As much as I wish the ending to be true, I wonder if it is realistic, I really pray with all my being that it is. This book is such an important piece of writing. At first I was sceptical that I was reading about such an important Japanese event from a non-Japanese author but the way it has been written has convinced me otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Abandonment and Grief
Minor: Vomit
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