A review by seraphiina
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

4.0

"Heaven" was truly an unexpected read. Following the life of an unnamed 14-year-old boy and his friendship with his classmate Kojima, who bonds through their shared experience of being bullied relentlessly, I had initially thought this novel might be predictable. That every story about bullying ends in the same way, becoming the same kind of sob story that only conveys the obvious message of how harmful bullying is. Yet "Heaven" felt much more authentic - the characters felt like real middle school students, going through some absolutely horrible events and finding their own philosophical meaning through it. While this story broke my heart, it did so in ways I did not expect, and also brought some surprisingly heartwarming moments. Will definitely recommend this short, yet touching novel.