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booknerdjo 's review for:
The Library of Heartbeats
by Laura Imai Messina
This is a really beautiful book about grief, loss and learning to love again.
Shuichi returns to his home town after his mother's death. He has learnt over the years to protect his heart from pain and not to feel any emotions, and so it comes as a surprise to him when he meets eight-year old Kenta and an unlikely friendship starts to grow.
There is a connection between the man and the boy which is only revealed gradually, but they are bound together by loss and grief and together they learn to move forward.
It's a tricky book to review, as I don't want to give too much away. But it is absolutely beautifully written, almost poetic in places. The characters are vivid and real and your heart aches for many of them at different times in the book.
I have been looking for the quote which, I feel, sums up this book, but I can't find it so I will have to paraphrase. Everything you love will one day end, but if you shut your heart up to pain, you also close yourself off from joy.
It's about the messy business of life, and finding joy and happiness where you can!
Shuichi returns to his home town after his mother's death. He has learnt over the years to protect his heart from pain and not to feel any emotions, and so it comes as a surprise to him when he meets eight-year old Kenta and an unlikely friendship starts to grow.
There is a connection between the man and the boy which is only revealed gradually, but they are bound together by loss and grief and together they learn to move forward.
It's a tricky book to review, as I don't want to give too much away. But it is absolutely beautifully written, almost poetic in places. The characters are vivid and real and your heart aches for many of them at different times in the book.
I have been looking for the quote which, I feel, sums up this book, but I can't find it so I will have to paraphrase. Everything you love will one day end, but if you shut your heart up to pain, you also close yourself off from joy.
It's about the messy business of life, and finding joy and happiness where you can!