A review by savvylit
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.5

This incredibly immersive and well-written novel is painful to read. The narrator's classmates inflict truly awful cruelties upon both him and Kojima. Kojima's friendship signifies hope for our narrator and is thus the only pleasant aspect of the entire book. By writing Heaven, Kawakami seems to remind readers that often life doesn't come with happy endings or justice. Life can be dark and unforgiving... and that's it.

This book is very well-written, hence my rating. However, I'm not sure I would ever recommend this title to anyone. Nor would I want to read it again. I had to stop reading Heaven so often; I could barely stomach the bullying and misery.

If you're ever feeling too content or glad and need a super dark book to bring you down, this might be it!
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