A review by thewordsdevourer
ร้านเครื่องเขียนสึบากิ (ยังคง) รับเขียนความรู้สึกของคนที่ไม่กล้าบอก by Ito Ogawa

emotional reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

i enjoyed this considerably more than the first book. perhaps bc here there are more things happening, it's not as much of a trudge as the predecessor thats bogged down by grief and hatoko feeling lost, the letters and clients are more interesting and impactful w/o ever feeling manipulative, there's more focus on food and it's done well, and both internal and external conflicts are more intriguing in this volume, and - what elevates this book into becoming one of my future comfort, healing reads - is the great balance of characters and nature, the relaxing setting, and healing themes that are relatable and comforting. 

the book is def not perfect - im particularly miffed abt the brief, random inclusion of

hatoko's mom

that's left unexplored any further. the last letter is also an encapsulation of ตกม้าตาย; how it leads up to that hatoko writing that seems weird somehow. ive never come across such fixation on the dead first wife, and hatoko's feelings abt miyuki are nice enough but the (dead) parasocial vibe makes me eyebrows twitch nevertheless, esp w/ how important miyuki's handwriting seems to exude abt herself, which clashes w/ hatoko thinking handwriting's not a sign of character.

even so, this is a book whose characters, relationships, community, setting and themes both heal and comfort, and thats a v good look in my book.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Toxic relationship and Grief

Minor: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Death, Abandonment, and Child death