Reviews

A book that breaks your hearth. The story of a man that sacrificed his life for the future of his family working all day every day from dusk till dawn. We meet him in death, lingering in the park where he died of old age. The story switches between memories of his life, to memories of conversations with a neighbour about different places in and near the park that are linked to Japans history and snippets of ‘now’, conversation overheard or signs that come into view. A small book that contains a lot.

sudonabarton's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

tessareadsbookies's review against another edition

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2.0

It wasn’t that good

brittanyarmstrong's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

jemmacrosland's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad

3.0

I was bought this as a gift and it was a cover-buy so I didn't know anything going into the story but I found this short novel very interesting, especially with the addition of the Author's Note at the end. I felt deeply about the characters and thought they were well-developed. I like the change in perspectives and times in Kazu's life showing how his life has changed over the years.
I wasn't anticipating the historical context of this book and perhaps this wasn't my favourite but I did find it easy to understand. The ending really pulled at my heartstrings, even if it was quite abrupt.

Content Warnings

kristymarie's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

_oneinamil's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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