A review by cepbreed
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I am so disgusted. I’ve never read such visceral descriptions of bullying, and to that degree, before. I don’t know if this is just my perspective as an American but that can’t be common right? If I knew any Japanese people I would ask. I can’t pretend I fully remember everything that took place because I started this so long ago and only finished reading because I got on a plane with no other books downloaded. But I really see the appeal of Kawakami. UGH I wish I could read and comprehend everything in its original form. I bet there’s so much culturel context and language subtleties I’m not able to pick up on. This was my first foray into Japanese literature and I’ll definitely take other recommendations more seriously from now on. 

The true goat was the mom. I was so surprised to see a figure of authority actually be helpful. That was a masterful tonal shift for sure. 

I fear whenever I don’t know how to feel I just rate the book a 3.5. It’s an ambiguous sort of like that I can’t put my finger on. 
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