Reviews

Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

haslerts's review against another edition

reflective sad fast-paced

Loved this book and it was a super fast read. Low key a spoiler, but the way the character is visually impaired but he is the only one who SEES the moral truths of the world around him. And then when he has the eye surgery and sees the beauty in the world with its own value. LOVE THAT. To me, this book kind of goes against those people who say that nothing really matters and there is no objective morality but… maybe I’m wrong but that was my takeaway…. Also the last paragraph, damnnnnn. I’m also probably never going to reread this book because it was so upsetting

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Violence

vulmikarable's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

itsmareeana's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• 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

4.0

meaghandesigns's review against another edition

4.0

heavy book. Damn. It wasn’t unenjoyable to read but it was emotional. Don’t read this and watch Close in the same time period your heart can only handle so much

hoedini's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.0

g0ldmedalribb0n's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

It was really hard to read as in i felt really bad for both characters but it was really good and real. All characters were realistically written which gave depth to each dialogue, especially that one scene with momose. wow

kakidesu's review against another edition

4.5

i think i like books with bullying as one of its themes. one of my fave films is better days (2019) and i also liked the kdrama "weak hero"... i think it's the resilience that captures me as well as how the characters cope with their struggles and traumas. with that said, it's no wonder i ended up loving this book. i understand how others felt underwhelmed with the ending, but this story is mainly a snippet of the mc's life... readers might ask for closure, but unfortunately it's all there is to it. though it lasted briefly, something about his interaction and friendship with Kojima changed something in his life, a pivotal point... perhaps a redemption, which is why i think it's called heaven.

yurboisam's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

ryanbada's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

serenarodri's review against another edition

emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5