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ivansensacional's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
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? Yes
2.0
This was a difficult one. While in general I enjoyed the book, I feel it tries to be more seriously than it should.
First of all, a lot of stuff dont really add to the plot. Halfway trough it, we learn that the protagonist was a used when she was a teenager. Its important but doesnt helps at all, Maybe Just shedding a little light about why she doesnt want sex. Or the part when he high School friend shows up of nothing and tells her she and her husband stoppdd having sex. Why include that?
Also, I didnt enjoy the long conversations between caracteres. They barely added anything to the plot and were inssuferable to go trough. If I wanted to read conversations ID read a script.
This could have been a three stars but that end was awful!Between drunk Hiriji metting the protagonist only to be mean to her, or Mitsuzuka not showing again and revealing he has been lying, it really ruined the sweet aura of the book. I wish I had stopped in the second to Last chapter.
The book goes between cozy and trauma without it really developing either of those. Its an easy read if you dont mind the long conversations but I personally wouldnt go back to it anytime.
Also, I didnt enjoy the long conversations between caracteres. They barely added anything to the plot and were inssuferable to go trough. If I wanted to read conversations ID read a script.
This could have been a three stars but that end was awful!
The book goes between cozy and trauma without it really developing either of those. Its an easy read if you dont mind the long conversations but I personally wouldnt go back to it anytime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexual assault
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic friendship
overtsentio's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Sexual assault
chris_reads's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Rape
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying and Gaslighting
aoibhd'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, and Alcohol
arangele's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, and Vomit
inxbloom's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I’m really unsure how to rate the book. On the one hand is this how my sobriety journey kind of felt like. I could relate with Fuyuko on many different occasions. Someone who struggles to form connections with other people, in her addiction, keeping herself small, trying to please everybody but her.
Just as I thought the book was starting to grow on me -as I really disliked the first 2/3 of it- it took another turn that made me go “are you for fvcking real?”.
I really felt sorry for Fuyuko, but other than that, I mostly just disliked the book.
Her work bestie, who claims to be a feminist, spends several pages bashing other women for doing things she doesn’t approve of and just glorifies being a workaholic.
The love interest really gave me hope. I really liked him. He helped Fuyuko (probably unbeknownst to him) get through many of her problems,just to abandon her again.
At some point I was able to excuse the pace of the book. The way it was written matched the way life felt for me, when I was living away, getting drunk every day. Life felt so small and mundane. I also did enjoy how she got to grow through all of it. Nevertheless it was still kind of hard for me to push through and almost all of my annotations are “wtf?” annotations, so I’ll just leave it at 2.25 stars, I suppose.
Also what even does “The chubby woman smiles and asked if I could donate blood today. For some reason, her smiling face reminded me of a head of cabbage split perfectly in two” mean?????
Just as I thought the book was starting to grow on me -as I really disliked the first 2/3 of it- it took another turn that made me go “are you for fvcking real?”.
I really felt sorry for Fuyuko, but other than that, I mostly just disliked the book.
Her work bestie, who claims to be a feminist, spends several pages bashing other women for doing things she doesn’t approve of and just glorifies being a workaholic.
The love interest really gave me hope. I really liked him. He helped Fuyuko (probably unbeknownst to him) get through many of her problems,
At some point I was able to excuse the pace of the book. The way it was written matched the way life felt for me, when I was living away, getting drunk every day. Life felt so small and mundane. I also did enjoy how she got to grow through all of it. Nevertheless it was still kind of hard for me to push through and almost all of my annotations are “wtf?” annotations, so I’ll just leave it at 2.25 stars, I suppose.
Also what even does “The chubby woman smiles and asked if I could donate blood today. For some reason, her smiling face reminded me of a head of cabbage split perfectly in two” mean?????
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Rape
Minor: Body shaming
theultmtfangirl's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism
kez07's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
At first I was unsure of this book. My feelings kept changing while reading it and at a certain point, it hit me how important it would end up feeling. Fuyuko is flawed in many ways but she tries to open herself up to more in her relationships. The people around her are also flawed, but they seem to care for her. Seeing her struggle with alcoholism and with how others perceive her felt uncomfortable and at times embarrassing but that’s the point. It’s life. I loved it and I’m glad I didn’t let the uncomfortable feeling overpower this book since it was also incredibly delicate and intimate at times. At a certain point, I was picturing what I thought it would look like in film, the lighting would be incredible with the way Fuyuko sees it and she would look normal and fine until it switches to the perspective of the viewer/stranger and it would show her slurring her words, or stumbling a little. I can’t help but think of that scene with Mitsusuka where she tells him that she was drunk all the previous times they met, and he said he knew, but he likes her company no matter which version he meets with. That nearly made me cry. This was truly an incredible book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Rape, and Alcohol
mosscrumble's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
before the 3/4 mark i probably would have given this book only 3.5 stars. there is a lot that doesnt get addressed or challenged early on so it feels like these triggering topics are being glossed over without much discussion. later on it becomes apparent that fuyuko is coping with her life that way, hence the way the topics are written. fuyuko as a character comes to life a lot more in the end of the book, where she is starting to take agency in her life, and i particularly like how the books ends out with hijiri. of all the people who talk and talk at fuyuko one-sided throughout, hijiri is the only one who makes an active attempt to get to know fuyuko despite her own character flaws
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Rape, and Vomit
soustrl8's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
ugh fuyuko i just wanna give you a big hug you poor thing. the way kawakami writes about the numbness of sadness is so beautiful and authentic. the type of sadness that settles into every experience you have, not created by a specific event but rather the accumulation of disappointment and rejection. i liked the pacing of the story, the reflective moments were somewhat part of the plot so it didn't feel stagnant. definitely gonna read more kawakami books 🤞🏻
didn't like the ending with mitsutsuka tho, wym mans just left bc he was unemployed? felt like all that relationship building was for nothing (or maybe that's the point? idk). also fuck hijiri lmao we brushed past that too fast
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Alcoholism