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A review by thebooknerdscorner
When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao
5.0
Thao's sophomore novel brings more themes of grief, finding love amongst loss, and the chance to do it over again.
Eric Ly's life has come to a bit of a standstill after the unforeseen loss of his best friend and secret crush, Daniel. Drifting through life, Eric imagines what life could be like if Daniel was still around. Among his delusions, he unexpectedly encounters a boy by the name of Haru Tanaka, who he met on a trip to Japan his senior year. Unaware of how Haru got here, Eric begins to wonder if Haru isn't real either. Whether Haru is real or not matters little to Eric, for now he has someone he can confide in in this trying era of his life where his vision is clouded with grief.
"When Haru Was Here" has many similarities to "You've Reached Sam," so past fans of Thao's work shouldn't be disappointed. The book opens with a brief look into the before of Eric's life, in which Daniel is still alive and he meets Haru in Japan. Then, chapter one jumps forward fourteen months to a time almost a year after Daniel's death. The rest of the book jumps back and forth between now and before much like "Sam" did. The themes of losing a loved one are also very similar and the question "what would you do with one more chance?" is as prevalent as ever. This time though, it's not a final chance to say goodbye, but a chance to relive a chance encounter with a person that you met briefly yet still think about constantly.
Eric gets himself in some pretty toxic situations due to the fact that he is desperate for someone who will love him and not abandon him. This leads him into the depths of high society with some toxic men named Christian and Nick. It is interesting to dive into high society's culture, but it was hard to read at times, because I knew that nothing good would come from it for Eric. Not all rich people are snobs, but these men most certainly are. It hurts every time that they use Eric and every time he gets his hopes up only to have them dashed once again. Honestly, even his relationship with Daniel was semi-toxic, so it was nice to see Haru treat him like an actual person (even if he wasn't actual real. . .).
I think my favorite part of this book has to be Eric's relationship with his sister, Jasmine, and her boyfriend, Kevin. These three are such a nice trio and pretty much the only characters in the entire story who weren't overly toxic. Jasmine and Eric's relationship is most definitely a bit tense after the death of Daniel, but this is understandable as more details are revealed. I must say, the big reveal didn't have the biggest impact due to the fact that I saw it coming, but it still hurts when you have such a strong relationship with a sibling and something like that ends up happening.
Eric's love for film, Jasmine's passion for music, and Kevin's interest in architecture brought three niche groups of expertise into the story. I know that Thao himself has studied film and it is nice to once again see this element brought back into the story. The movie that Eric showcases in the final chapter was truly quite touching, and was by far my favorite part of the book; it was truly heartbreaking and cathartic.
The epilogue has extreme "Your Name" vibes between Eric and Haru. It was nice to finally see this scene fold out for real, and see Eric stand on his own two feet. I know "Sam" was partially inspired by "Your Name," but this one screamed "Your Name" vibes due to the way they both ended.
Overall, I really enjoyed "When Haru Was Here." It wasn't nearly as sad as I thought it would be, but it does still touch on emotional topics such as grief, learning to cope, and second chances. I really enjoyed watching Eric dig himself out of the hole of despair that he was in and learn to cope with the losses that are present in his life. If you are looking for a story depicting realistic scenarios of love and loss with a hint of magical realism, "When Haru Was Here" is a great choice of a book.
Eric Ly's life has come to a bit of a standstill after the unforeseen loss of his best friend and secret crush, Daniel. Drifting through life, Eric imagines what life could be like if Daniel was still around. Among his delusions, he unexpectedly encounters a boy by the name of Haru Tanaka, who he met on a trip to Japan his senior year. Unaware of how Haru got here, Eric begins to wonder if Haru isn't real either. Whether Haru is real or not matters little to Eric, for now he has someone he can confide in in this trying era of his life where his vision is clouded with grief.
"When Haru Was Here" has many similarities to "You've Reached Sam," so past fans of Thao's work shouldn't be disappointed. The book opens with a brief look into the before of Eric's life, in which Daniel is still alive and he meets Haru in Japan. Then, chapter one jumps forward fourteen months to a time almost a year after Daniel's death. The rest of the book jumps back and forth between now and before much like "Sam" did. The themes of losing a loved one are also very similar and the question "what would you do with one more chance?" is as prevalent as ever. This time though, it's not a final chance to say goodbye, but a chance to relive a chance encounter with a person that you met briefly yet still think about constantly.
Eric gets himself in some pretty toxic situations due to the fact that he is desperate for someone who will love him and not abandon him. This leads him into the depths of high society with some toxic men named Christian and Nick. It is interesting to dive into high society's culture, but it was hard to read at times, because I knew that nothing good would come from it for Eric. Not all rich people are snobs, but these men most certainly are. It hurts every time that they use Eric and every time he gets his hopes up only to have them dashed once again. Honestly, even his relationship with Daniel was semi-toxic, so it was nice to see Haru treat him like an actual person (even if he wasn't actual real. . .).
I think my favorite part of this book has to be Eric's relationship with his sister, Jasmine, and her boyfriend, Kevin. These three are such a nice trio and pretty much the only characters in the entire story who weren't overly toxic. Jasmine and Eric's relationship is most definitely a bit tense after the death of Daniel, but this is understandable as more details are revealed. I must say, the big reveal didn't have the biggest impact due to the fact that I saw it coming, but it still hurts when you have such a strong relationship with a sibling and something like that ends up happening.
Eric's love for film, Jasmine's passion for music, and Kevin's interest in architecture brought three niche groups of expertise into the story. I know that Thao himself has studied film and it is nice to once again see this element brought back into the story. The movie that Eric showcases in the final chapter was truly quite touching, and was by far my favorite part of the book; it was truly heartbreaking and cathartic.
The epilogue has extreme "Your Name" vibes between Eric and Haru. It was nice to finally see this scene fold out for real, and see Eric stand on his own two feet. I know "Sam" was partially inspired by "Your Name," but this one screamed "Your Name" vibes due to the way they both ended.
Overall, I really enjoyed "When Haru Was Here." It wasn't nearly as sad as I thought it would be, but it does still touch on emotional topics such as grief, learning to cope, and second chances. I really enjoyed watching Eric dig himself out of the hole of despair that he was in and learn to cope with the losses that are present in his life. If you are looking for a story depicting realistic scenarios of love and loss with a hint of magical realism, "When Haru Was Here" is a great choice of a book.