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payton's review against another edition
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
xx_coco's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Misogyny and Suicidal thoughts
anna_23's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Minor: Bullying, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
lolpink's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
allthebooks36's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Suicidal thoughts
sproutflor's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer
iamivypark's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Set against the backdrop of bustling Tokyo, this Japanese fiction debut depicts an unhappy marriage, the tribulations of motherhood and an exploration of self.
Centred around Mizuki, a mother of two kids and wife of a businessman working soul-destroying hours, the novel is predominantly character driven. Although Mizuki is unconventional, rebellious and having an affair throughout the book, I didn’t find her unlikeable.
Mizuki is darkly funny and grapples with some interesting ideas: the constraints and pressures she feels as a housewife in Japanese society and the parts of herself she leaves behind to play that role. Despite her struggles with parenthood, Mizuki’s love for her kids is undoubtable! I understood her frustrations, the onslaught of expectations around parenting and feeling that she was invisible. As Mizuki gets to know Kiyoshi, you see her drawn to freedom and parts of herself that haven’t been nurtured in years.
I did find the book hard to get into. The chapters are short and I typically like that but I felt it made the writing a bit choppy and disjoint on this occasion. I never considered not finishing it, but I wasn’t super engaged. I would have liked to see more character development of Kiyoshi as I didn’t really see the emotional connection Mizuki built with him. There was a fair bit of build up around the affair but the reader never got a glimpse of passion or lust between them.
In saying all that, I think Itami developed a strong sense of place, really bringing to life Tokyo with imagery of cherry blossoms, bars, restaurants, Tokyo Fashion Week, apartment living & neon lights. The examination of Mizuki’s life choices did give me a lot to think about and I thought it was an interesting read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
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