Reviews - The Lantern of Lost Memories

775 reviews for:

The Lantern of Lost Memories

Sanaka Hiiragi

4.18 AVERAGE

shelbyroo's review against another edition

4.0

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

blootatoot_reads's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

emilsincliar's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This is one short and sweet read! It has three chapters which consist of three beautiful stories. Each story will make you empathize with the characters and grip you in their little tale and the lives that they lived.

The premise of the book is that there's a photo studio, which acts sort of like a pit stop where people arrive after their death. The narrator of the book is the guy who runs this photo studio. Every time someone arrives there, carried by Yama, they have to choose a picture for every year of their life that they have lived and then these pictures are shown to them before they move on towards the afterlife.

The book explores the idea of death, afterlife and visiting the past through time travel. I think Japanese writers have mastered the art of magical realism! Sanaka Hiiragi has woven a magic of her own with this book and the stories within.

Definitely worth reading if you like books like What You're Looking For Is In The Library or Before the Coffee Gets Cold.

wenwanzhao's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

Starting this book, I thought it would be another one of those episodic magical realist Japanese fiction novels that beautifully illustrated the precious nature of life. It definitely met up to those standards, but when all of the seemingly unimportant threads throughout the stories tied up at the end of the final chapter, I genuinely cried. I find a lot of meaning in stories where ordinary people are able to do life-changing things through small actions, and Hiiragi depicted that perfectly in The Lantern of Lost Memories.

Content Warnings

fatherroderick's review against another edition

5.0

"The Lantern of Lost Memories" by Sanaka Hiiragi is a poignant and beautifully crafted tale set in a photography studio in the afterlife.

The owner of the studio aids the recently deceased in creating a slideshow of pivotal moments from their lives, helping them to transition to the next stage.

Through the lens of three distinct individuals who pass through the studio, we delve into their lives and revisit their defining moments.

A captivating mystery shrouds the studio owner himself: who is he, and why does he lack any memories of his own earthly existence?

This novel is an inspiring read that weaves together themes of memory, identity, and closure.

wetrathours's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I thought this book was very well written. I enjoyed listening to it and I'm enjoying reflecting on it. I thought the foreshadowing and world building were done very well. The characters were lovable, the imagery was immersive, and the story was interesting. I also really liked the narrator. She has a talent for doing distinct character voices that aren't annoying (in my opinion).

Content Warnings