dkumar 's review for:

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao
3.75
emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

wow. this book was not at all what i was expecting but maybe that made the final reveal hit me that much harder. i was tearing up reading
eric's final letters to all the people he lost (jasmine 😭) and his short film wrecked me
. i didn't love a large chunk of eric's character arc until the very end but i understand that he needed to make those mistakes in order to grow his emotional intelligence. Haru himself felt a bit random at times, but that's the essence of maladaptive daydreaming, isn't it?