karmapen's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, War, Sexual violence, Violence, Self harm, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Mental illness
Minor: Torture, Body shaming, and Blood
leweylibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The narrator was the author, and she did such an amazing job with these dual narrators in the story, especially considering one was a child/teenager.
The book was also great enough to me that I know need a physical copy so I can reread it in the future and make better notes of the parts that really hit me hard--and there's a lot of them. Nao and Ruth's characters are great, especially together even though they never technically meet (I love the ending by the way). Ozeki flawlessly weaved these stories together even though they never officially crossed paths. I also loved Nao's father and their relationship and his struggles. I know mental health isn't something that community talks about much at all, so I think it's amazing that this book does talk about it, even if it is painful to read. I love the way this book talks about time and life and what we choose to do with the two. Now I really want to read Nao's book about her grandmother!
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Suicide, Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape
thmei's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
this book explored a lot of themes in a very tangible, human way and that’s what i loved about it. i think i could talk about it for ages. it obviously won’t work for everyone, but i personally am very glad i picked it up. if you’re a writer, a big reader, someone who feels a little lost or a little lonely, someone who had a rough childhood or shitty parents, or someone who likes to think about life or death or truth or memory or love or anything else in the synopsis, give it a shot.
i’m going to keep the content warning explanations as spoiler free as possible but i do still want to explain the big things, because i think there are some things you can skip around if you have to, and for some you should avoid this book entirely if you think they might trigger you. i’ve marked pretty much everything as spoilers so if you’re just looking for one specific explanation, you can choose that. i know i always want explanations so hopefully someone finds them helpful.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Toxic friendship, Violence, Vomit, and War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, and Racial slurs
BULLYING:Spoiler
nao endures some pretty terrible physical and emotional bullying and it takes up the majority of her story. even during the parts where it isn’t currently happening, it’s often mentioned.Spoiler
at one point nao is ambushed in a bathroom by her classmates. they take pictures of her using the bathroom, attack her as she tries to run away, lift up her skirt, and steal her underwear. they try to convince each other to rape her, but no one does. later they put her underwear up for auction online, which is brought up several times throughout the book. she is on her period at the time.Spoiler
the auctionSpoiler
nao also befriends the head of a brothel by accident and starts doing sex work, and while it doesn’t seem like she thinks of herself as a prostitute and she calls the two men “dates,” she knows there’s money involved and the second encounter especially is not voluntary. neither are described as very violent and the first nao even describes as quite pleasant, but both are still sex work with older men and in the second she describes going to another place in her mind to cope. the sex is not super graphic in either but it is described.Spoiler
nao’s physical abuse by her bullies is described. a relative of nao’s was a wwii soldier, and his physical abuse by his superiors is described.Spoiler
nao’s relative is conscripted as a suicide bomber. his letters and diary describe his time in training and his facing death.Spoiler
two characters in ruth’s story mention losing their animals to other wildlife- not in graphic detail but they mention being sad and one character’s wife describes him following a dog and watching, unable to save it. towards the end of the book, ruth’s cat goes missing and is found severely injured by another animal. the injury is described for a sentence or two. the cat does not die.Spoiler
a major character dies at the end. it is not violent or particularly upsetting. it is sad.Spoiler
no character uses racial slurs in a violent, angry, or assaulting manner. ruth, a japanese woman, uses the word j*p to describe a house where an old japanese family used to live before japanese internment in wwii. if i remember correctly, this is the only slur and it’s only used once or twice in the very beginning of the book.jameslyons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: War, Violence, Sexual violence, Bullying, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gun violence, Animal death, Child death, Death, Gaslighting, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Death of parent, and Gore