Reviews

How do I even begin to describe this - it's like sitting by a lake watching gentle ripples but knowing that life is going on underneath. This is so understated. A daughter and her mother take a trip to Japan where, the daughter hopes, there will be some sort of deep connection between them. They are in a place neither of them knows so, in a way, it's a blank canvas. The overwhelming feeling I get is a loneliness within the daughter as she tries to understand the relationship that she has with her mother. Her mother might smile and nods but the daughter is unable to put her feelings into words. There is a distance between the two women. The women's conversations seem to be unfinished but they share a sense of almost excitement as the mother wonders if it will be cold enough for snow - something she has never see. Wandering through Tokyo and visiting art galleries, the daughter examines the dreamlike qualities of the paintings, losing herself in the images and the memories they reawaken while at the same time wishing that her mother could recognise the same qualities. She talks about how paintings can be changes, images painted over and changed and she tells her mother that writing can also be changed and she tells her mother that it's 'better for her not to trust anything she read' Is she telling us the same thing because as
the mother hardly speaks and seems to be a ghost like figure, at times I did wonder if this is a grieving daughter regretting a distance that could now never be closed, and whether we are listening to memories. This is a book that says so much in so few words - words that are so evocative and atmospheric. It's a book that leaves me so many questions. Gorgeous. Rounded up to 5*

thewhitebook's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced

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

3.5

babybelchels's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

“All the while, my mother stayed close to me, as if she felt that the flow of the crowd was a current, and that if we were separated, we would not be able to make our way back to each other, but continue to drift further and further apart.“

darillium_'s review against another edition

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reflective

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

3.0

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