A review by hellomei
The Third Love by Hiromi Kawakami

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

so moving… maybe i was so affected by it because the fact that the protagonist’s dream lives involve heroines who were Not her but who she inhabited resonated with my own daydreams so much. but in general, it was amazing to read a story about someone having a rich inner world, and to see it portrayed as enthrallingly (?) as it’s been in my experience, too. 

and seeing how real life and imagination intersect and influence each other… i think a lot about that, so i was happy it featured so prominently in the book… also loved the dream stories being set in the past (the passage of time!!!) and during times in japanese history i enjoyed studying, no less… black-tooth ditch and the heian period palace both felt so real!

my thoughts are all jumbled but it was just a very good read, though maybe very me catered. i picked the book up BECAUSE the premise was “woman has fantasy life” but didn’t expect it to use the concept exactly how i wanted it to. anyway. normal again