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theheartisawaffle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and War
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Pregnancy, Violence, Medical trauma, Suicide, Grief, and Mental illness
Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Fatphobia, and Genocide
jayisreading's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I guess I should say that this isn’t the most conventional romance novel, but there are certain tropes that hold strong, particularly this idea of destiny (love at first sight, wrong time and place, miscommunications, you get the gist). Also, it’s clear Hirano wanted to get some more philosophical points across, especially this idea of choice versus destiny, hence the not-quite-a-romance quality that this novel has.
It ended up being a bit of a mediocre read, though, in part because I felt the story and characters lacked soul. It’s a bit strange that was the case, too, because the protagonists—Minato (a classical guitarist) and Yoko (a journalist)—are incredibly deep thinkers impacted by their careers and personal lives, so… I don’t know, maybe it was presumptuous of me to expect more oomph because of that, aha.
I will say I really enjoyed all the classical guitar music pieces that were mentioned throughout, being a fan of classical guitar myself (though nowhere near as familiar with the repertoire as Hirano, it seems). I think, for me, it added a particular touch to Makino’s character, understanding how intimate a relationship can be between a musician and their instrument(s). Somewhat related, but I was pleasantly surprised by how Hirano wrote about music (and how Carpenter translated it) because it was beautiful. It’s so rare to find writers who can capture music’s ephemera with such grace—
This book definitely wanted to be as thoughtful as many of its Japanese literature contemporaries, which… to a degree, it was. However, I thought it left a lot to be desired. But based on what other reviewers have said, I may have to check out Hirano’s previous novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and War
Minor: Death, Suicide, and Islamophobia
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