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whatsallyreadnext's Reviews (719)
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Many of you know that I'm a huge fan of Japanese translated fiction so it's no surprise that I really enjoyed this one! Plus, the cover is simply eye-catching and the end papers are beautiful, so I know this will definitely stand out in bookshops and attract fellow Japan lovers!
Similar to the premise of Before the Coffee Gets Cold which explores memories and time-travel, The Lantern of Lost Memories features a mysterious photo studio where people arrive at after they pass away. Whilst there, they get the chance to relive one memory from their life before they journey onto the afterlife.
We meet three visitors to the photo studio, which includes an elderly woman who worked as a nursery teacher and helped to rebuild a community after disaster, a Japanese gangster (yakuza) who used to be kind and compassionate, and a young girl who was tragically abused by her mother and stepfather.
This was a beautiful story and I loved the premise of revisiting memories, how they impacted us and looking back on our life and experiences. Despite exploring some serious themes, the book also gave me cosiness, comfort and warmth.
I'm not sure if this book is already the start of a series yet to be translated but I could totally see this having multiple follow-on books with the same premise and with different characters.
Similar to the premise of Before the Coffee Gets Cold which explores memories and time-travel, The Lantern of Lost Memories features a mysterious photo studio where people arrive at after they pass away. Whilst there, they get the chance to relive one memory from their life before they journey onto the afterlife.
We meet three visitors to the photo studio, which includes an elderly woman who worked as a nursery teacher and helped to rebuild a community after disaster, a Japanese gangster (yakuza) who used to be kind and compassionate, and a young girl who was tragically abused by her mother and stepfather.
This was a beautiful story and I loved the premise of revisiting memories, how they impacted us and looking back on our life and experiences. Despite exploring some serious themes, the book also gave me cosiness, comfort and warmth.
I'm not sure if this book is already the start of a series yet to be translated but I could totally see this having multiple follow-on books with the same premise and with different characters.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have honestly never read a book like this before and it will definitely be a book that I will still think about for years to come.
Originally published in French back in 1995, this novel was then published in English in 1997 under the title 'The Mistress of Silence' and nearly 30 years on, has had a sudden recent resurgence of readers!
Originally published in French back in 1995, this novel was then published in English in 1997 under the title 'The Mistress of Silence' and nearly 30 years on, has had a sudden recent resurgence of readers!
Thirty-nine women are imprisoned in a cage deep underground. This is where they live, whilst watched over by guards, and the women have no idea how they came to be there in the first place. This life is all that they know and remember. A young girl, who is the fortieth prisoner with no name and the outsider of the group, gradually becomes integral to the prisoners' escape and survival in an unfamiliar world.
This was such an eerie, uneasy, yet intriguing read for me, as we are left wondering just as much as the prisoners in terms of how they got there and why they are there, imprisoned in a cage. I was completely invested in this post-apocalyptic story, wanting the prisoners to survive and for them to find the answers they were looking for. It's only a short read of less than 200 pages, but I read it slowly as I didn't want it to end!
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had been eyeing up this book ever since it was published back in February, especially because it features diverse characters and is written by a British-Japanese author. I was interested to read more about the mixed-race experience and the desire to fit into society, and wow, I was impressed by this debut!
Mongrel follows three interweaving storylines featuring three women (Mei, Yuki and Haruka) set in suburban Surrey (similar to where I grew up!), London and Tokyo. It explores themes such as identity, race, grief, desire, hope and belonging.
Mei is mixed-race and grew up in suburban Surrey, who is navigating losing her Japanese mother at a young age and also her growing desire for her best friend Fran.
Yuki moves to London from Japan in pursuit of her dream career as a concert violinist, but her dream is threatened when she falls for her older teacher.
Haruka is working as a hostess in Tokyo's nightlife industry and grieves the loss of her mother who hid so much from her.
I really enjoyed reading Mongrel and despite not being mixed-race myself, I could still resonate with Mei's upbringing in a predominantly white town in England and identify similarities with my own childhood experience of growing up as a minority race in Surrey. I also enjoyed trying to figure out the links between the three characters and how their stories would fit in with each other. It was really beautifully written and the characterisation was great. I would definitely like to read more of Hanako Footman's work in the future!
Mongrel follows three interweaving storylines featuring three women (Mei, Yuki and Haruka) set in suburban Surrey (similar to where I grew up!), London and Tokyo. It explores themes such as identity, race, grief, desire, hope and belonging.
Mei is mixed-race and grew up in suburban Surrey, who is navigating losing her Japanese mother at a young age and also her growing desire for her best friend Fran.
Yuki moves to London from Japan in pursuit of her dream career as a concert violinist, but her dream is threatened when she falls for her older teacher.
Haruka is working as a hostess in Tokyo's nightlife industry and grieves the loss of her mother who hid so much from her.
I really enjoyed reading Mongrel and despite not being mixed-race myself, I could still resonate with Mei's upbringing in a predominantly white town in England and identify similarities with my own childhood experience of growing up as a minority race in Surrey. I also enjoyed trying to figure out the links between the three characters and how their stories would fit in with each other. It was really beautifully written and the characterisation was great. I would definitely like to read more of Hanako Footman's work in the future!
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes