Reviews

The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami

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spaanhede's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

huntersflapjack's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

caroisreading's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

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

2.5

The premise of this book was more exciting than the execution, for me. A thrift shop staff of unique characters in Japan sounds right up my alley, but ended up being more narrowly focused on the narrator's inner thoughts, obsessions and insecurities, written in painstakingly dense train-of-thought detail. Questionable behavior is illustrated, yet unresolved. She harrasses her love interest with incessant phone calls at one point.

He draws her nude without her knowing, even secretly placing the drawing in the store. Despite her discomfort, she's still pining over him.

There's also a very romanticized, rationalized look at infidelity in this story that doesn't sit well with me. At the same time, it has one of the most

comically stale and brief sex scenes I've ever read.

Beyond that, I think you'll still enjoy this if you like slice-of-life narratives and beautifying the mundane, as the thrift shop serves to symbolize.

I most enjoyed the end, as the narrator reflects on her time at the shop, and Hiromi Kawakami beautifully captures the emotional twist of nostalgia, and the disorienting feeling of thinking about a past job, and past love.

I'll try to give this another read in the future.

Content Warnings

laura_bichateca's review against another edition

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funny relaxing slow-paced

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

4.0

C6 A10 W9 P7 I9 L6 E9 = 56/14 => 4/5 ★

phoenix2's review against another edition

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3.0

The Nakano Thrift Shop is just my cup of tea when it comes to japanese stories: a slice of life story, a problematic, dysfunctional relationship, a sense of coziness and simplicity.

The story revolves around the two young employees of the Nakano shop, as their relationship goes from colleagues, to somewhat lovers, to awkward exes. The author uses that story as the axes from which the rest of the small stories started blooming. And she did an excellent job blending small thrift stories, with the main romance, as well as the two siblings' stories.

However, the main one got a bit tiring, as the girl was too hung up on the boy, and he, for his part, was just a brute, not talking to her even when they were a couple. The ending, still, was pretty good and more realistic than I was expecting it to be. The author did an amazing job with the portrayal of the unique characters and their growth through time.

So, overall, it was a nice pretty interesting book with some good writing and authentic characters.