Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi

19 reviews

bellebookcorner's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

4.5

“You see, once you get here, it doesn't matter how wealthy or important you were in life. All you're left with are your memories.” 
 
If you’re looking for more stories like Before the Coffee Gets Cold then you'll have to get this one! 
 
This wonderful life-affirming stories centred around what happen after you die like those who experience ‘memories flashing before your eyes’. 
Set in a place between life and death, Hiraka’s photo studio will help each person to choose their most fond memories to be placed on a lantern. Once completed, the lantern will be spun to guide them to the afterlife. 
 
I really like getting to know how each character live their lives especially the old woman from the first story. 
I absolutely love the way how each story will eventually connect with each other and in just 200 pages this book manage to made me shed a few tears. 
 
Overall, it’s a touching well-written story with meaningful and powerful messages scattered throughout the book. 
 
I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
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bookmonsterally's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is an incredibly swift and unique read. As three very different people experience death, they are greeted Mr Hirasaka, who will help them move on, by identifying and reliving one important memory in their lives. 

It’s too fast a read to really sit in your thoughts and mull like some translated fiction. But it does end with a slap in the face and that life affirming message I’ve come to expect from similar style novels. 
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jemmacrosland's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

1.5

I was drawn into this book because of the interesting premise, and it is recommended for Japanese translated fiction fans, especially for fans of the 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' series. However I didn't find this to be cosy like the other translated fiction/magical realism books I've enjoyed as I just found it far too morbid.
It started off well and I was very intrigued as I really do love the expansion of the idea of 'your life flashes before your eyes before death'. The book is split into 3 parts, 3 separate stories. I just found myself lost by story 2 and I was very confused by the storyline. For me, it was the third story which just made me want to DNF, it was so sad and I didn't feel hopeful or find the positives within the story.
There is also an audiobook available for this book and I partly listened to this book via audio, I really liked the narration. If you are interested in reading this, I would highly recommend reading content warnings as the 3rd story in particular was very triggering to me.
1.5/5 ⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Sanaka Hiiragi for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy. 
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crothe77's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

5.0

 
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Hiiragi Sanaka is a third person multi-POV Japanese speculative contemporary. Mr. Hirasaki helps the dead choose the last moments they see before they die, helping smooth their path into the afterlife. If a photo isn’t clear, he takes them back in time to retake the photo and let them relive that moment. But he’s not allowed to interfere and change the course of their fate.

The concept of the story is essentially a thought experiment for ‘what if you could choose the moments you saw when your life flashes before your eyes’ and it’s fascinating. You have seemingly unlimited time to choose one photo from every year that you’ve been alive and someone is there to help you relieve an important one before passing, but you’re also doing so with the knowledge that your time is pretty much up. How compassionate is that, to be given the time to grieve your life and come to terms with death? 

The small wrenches thrown in the plot are that Mr. Hirasaki can’t remember his own past, with only a single photograph that provides him with any clue of who he used to be and that, every once in a while, sometimes someone comes who will escape death but will come back later. I liked that the story recognized that possibility and worked with it to create something both heart wrenching and beautiful. 

What stops me from calling this book a cozy fantasy is that the last of the three stories features some uncomfortable themes in enough detail that moves it away from cozy for me, personally. It is a hopeful book, it is a beautiful, human concept, it has fairly small stakes, and I really enjoyed it. 

Content warning for depictions of child abuse

I would recommend this to fans of novels that are thought experiments, readers looking for a Japanese speculative contemporary novel that is lighter on the fantastical elements, and those who really love books featuring cameras and photographs

 
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candiemarsh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

[Received ARC from Netgalley] I enjoyed this read a lot! A tender and heartwarming story, the chapters were concise and at a good reading pace. The story concept is intriguing and got me not wanting to put it down. Although it can be defined as a light read, the main subject matter and subtopics included were somewhat heavy, and may be triggering to some. The MC is intriguing; would love to read more of his backstory. Recommended read!
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mjscooke's review against another edition

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hopeful reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

Interweaving 3 stories of disparate characters who each find themselves at the end of their lives with the task of looking back, this novel is a beautiful exploration of life that manages to be eternally hopeful even when exploring tough characters a situations. 
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buecher_und_huehner's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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rambling_willow's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad

4.75

The Lantern of Lost Memories is a story about the lives of people who have just passed away. They get to select their favourite memories to keep, and more importantly, revisit the one they have treasured the most.  The reader gets to read about the lives they have lived and the impact they have made on others. The book has multiple stories combined into one, almost like an anthology, but there is an overarching story loosely woven in, giving it a satisfying end.

Although the themes of this book are hopeful, it does have darker moments. Consider looking up the trigger warnings.

Thank you NetGalley and Picador for giving me access to this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. 
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saucee's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

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cutepatzie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad medium-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

5.0

This was such an amazing read. Short but powerful. I love the concept of this book. That lets you believe that maybe going afterlife is not so bad. The concept was great. And I love how each of them complement each other. And make you reflect on many things. The kind f open-close adding was great. Just good, wise book. 
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