You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
hey_jupiter 's review for:
The Heartbeat Library
by Laura Imai Messina
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An earnest slice of life character study that explores grief, childhood, and the journey to finding happiness again. I loved the exploration into the complexities of children, treating them with respect for their emotions and capacity to express. The story format made this a quick read that left me in shambles.
Favorite Quotes:
"“Do you hear it?” Asks the boy, turning to the man. At the exact time of the question, the man is forty years old and the valves of his heart have opened and closed around one billion, four hundred and seventy million times. Since three hundred and thirty-three days ago, he has started to call things by their names again; he has started being concerned with where the world is heading again--who will win the elections in Japan, how long it will take mankind to fill the sea with plastic. And, once again, he is afraid of dying."
"This island is a heart. It contracts with the irregular beat of the waves. The tides prolong its pulse, a beat or two is sometimes skipped. But it always begins again."
"In reality, Shūichi knew that to succeed in that intention, you needed to thicken the membrane that separated you from the world, and to quiet the joy of being alive. Beautiful things, when not spoken aloud, decayed. Was it worth it? After forty years, he still wasn’t sure.
He opted to stay quiet."
"And as he laughed about those things, things that in the moment had made him froth with rage, Shūichi realized it was the concreteness of his son, his being trivial and impossible, that moved him the most."
"Now the world couldn’t collapse again, couldn’t fall apart so easily. It needed to hold up for the time of that child and the things that child loves. Another hundred years at least? Perhaps two hundred?"
Favorite Quotes:
"“Do you hear it?” Asks the boy, turning to the man. At the exact time of the question, the man is forty years old and the valves of his heart have opened and closed around one billion, four hundred and seventy million times. Since three hundred and thirty-three days ago, he has started to call things by their names again; he has started being concerned with where the world is heading again--who will win the elections in Japan, how long it will take mankind to fill the sea with plastic. And, once again, he is afraid of dying."
"This island is a heart. It contracts with the irregular beat of the waves. The tides prolong its pulse, a beat or two is sometimes skipped. But it always begins again."
"In reality, Shūichi knew that to succeed in that intention, you needed to thicken the membrane that separated you from the world, and to quiet the joy of being alive. Beautiful things, when not spoken aloud, decayed. Was it worth it? After forty years, he still wasn’t sure.
He opted to stay quiet."
"And as he laughed about those things, things that in the moment had made him froth with rage, Shūichi realized it was the concreteness of his son, his being trivial and impossible, that moved him the most."
"Now the world couldn’t collapse again, couldn’t fall apart so easily. It needed to hold up for the time of that child and the things that child loves. Another hundred years at least? Perhaps two hundred?"