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daniellemgreen17's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
vesafe13's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
chrisferguson5's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
2.0
backtoearths's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
malex722's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
paula_sm's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
james1star's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
‘I had one vague, exhausted thought that perhaps it was all right not to understand all things, but simply to see and hold them.’
I really enjoyed the reading experience of this book, the writing was so beautiful and transportive that I could’ve easily read a 400 page novel like this.
This book very much falls into the literary genre where honestly not a whole lot happens but you carry on reading for the writing and chapter interactions. It’s following an unnamed mid/late 20s (I think) women who’s decided to take her aging mother on a trip around Japan visiting museums, houses, a forest, shops, stations, restaurants and more trying to reconnect after not spending that much time together. We learn she, along with her sister, were born in Hong Kong but moved to Australia in childhood as our narrator recollects on the past, her time working, at uni, visiting her boyfriends family and a visit back to Hong Kong. A lot of the book features these nostalgic memories as we learn about the characters, specifically her relationship with her mum and how she’s struggling to pin down an identity and nationhood.
It’s painted in a really beautiful and rather ethereal dream-like manner. A section of the book is concerned with art and different methods/techniques and one is described as looking at a scene whilst going past on a fast moving train and somewhat so the reading of this book feels like this; very unique and one I’d love to get again. I would really recommend giving this book a read and would love to check out more by the author.