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A review by armedwithabook
Return to Hiroshima by Bob Van Laerhoven
4.0
Detailed thoughts posted on Armed with A Book
I have always been fascinated by stories set in Japan and that is why I chose this book. There are a number of characters in the story, many of them with hidden identities. We start off with Mitsuko, a young woman who has run away from her home on the Hashima Island, escaping from her father. She is pregnant and does not want to lose her child. Soon after, a baby is found by the peace monument, embalmed with a chrysanthellum flower on its foot.
This is a fast-paced novel, dark, at every turn, with twists that I did not see coming. As the name suggests, the story starts to develop when Mitsuko, Xavier and Beate arrive in Hiroshima. The characters are well thought out, all of them struggling with their past. Since there are so many of them, it can be hard to keep track of them all. I actually ended up creating a mind map to represent their introductions and connections (will share that in my blog post later).
I am not quite sure why Xavier's story line was relevant in the grand scheme of things and I'm also unsatisfied by the conclusion, but over all it was a good read that kept me glued to my spot.
I am thankful to Black Thorn Book Tours for a complimentary copy of the book as part of the blog tour.
I have always been fascinated by stories set in Japan and that is why I chose this book. There are a number of characters in the story, many of them with hidden identities. We start off with Mitsuko, a young woman who has run away from her home on the Hashima Island, escaping from her father. She is pregnant and does not want to lose her child. Soon after, a baby is found by the peace monument, embalmed with a chrysanthellum flower on its foot.
This is a fast-paced novel, dark, at every turn, with twists that I did not see coming. As the name suggests, the story starts to develop when Mitsuko, Xavier and Beate arrive in Hiroshima. The characters are well thought out, all of them struggling with their past. Since there are so many of them, it can be hard to keep track of them all. I actually ended up creating a mind map to represent their introductions and connections (will share that in my blog post later).
I am not quite sure why Xavier's story line was relevant in the grand scheme of things and I'm also unsatisfied by the conclusion, but over all it was a good read that kept me glued to my spot.
I am thankful to Black Thorn Book Tours for a complimentary copy of the book as part of the blog tour.