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recorderkfk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Stretch book/ growth edge book for me - but a different mode of storytelling - 2 narratives 1) first person Japanese teenager who grew up in California. 2) third person limited omnipresent narrator of Ruth an author who lives with her husband on an island off of Washington.
The book grows on you the more you read of it!
The book grows on you the more you read of it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, and Xenophobia
Minor: Miscarriage, Self harm, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent
miladimelow's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
โ๐๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ถ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ช๐ค ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ.
๐๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฆ.
๐๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฅ.
๐๐ถ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ.โ -p92
I have to say Iโm speechless. I mean this was justโฆ this was just incredible!
A tale for the time being follows Ruth, a woman living on an island, as she comes across a lunch box filled with a personโs possession. Included in this is 16 year old Naoโs diary. As the story goes on, Ruth gets warped into the story of Naoโs life, causing an obsession of finding this teenager to emerge.
This was one of those books that just really tugs at your heart strings. Once Iโd got the middle of the story, I was really struggling to continue on, as it was incredibly slow and very long. But the writing took as twist at around half way, as you see Naoโs seemingly simply childhood switch. And god that really pained me. This is a beautiful story centred around mainly the importance of family, as well talking about the impact of war, which was really impactful and where I found the writing to be itโs most lyrical.
I adored so many thing in this book but Iโll just mention a few. Firstly I loved the subtle similarities between Ruth and Naoโs storylines, which really suited especially with the ending. The lines between the two were completely blurred by the end, and this slow build up to it was incredibly fun to spot. I also LOVED Oliver and Pesto, I really need this duo for me. They really helped wrap up the story, and the little side story between cat and owner was such a sweet way to help the reader relax from the very difficult main storyline.
So really what I want to say is that you should definitely read this! A mix between the midnight library and after dark by Murakami, if you love magical realism you will adore this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, and Alcohol
Minor: Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, and Stalking