A review by chinchirah
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan
3.0
"Life was brighter with Miwako, even when we weren't doing anything in particular. And whenever she was around, my heart beat faster."
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is the story of Miwako Sumida, a Japanese university student and her 3 closest friends after she suddenly commits suicide: Chie, Ryusei, and his older sister Fumi-nee. Over the course of the book, these three individuals set of on journeys (in both the literal and metaphorical sense) to find out what led the girl they all cared for so much to do so.
Although the prose is very simply written and seems to be suitable for a YA audience, there are some sensitive themes explored in the book including suicide and others that I cannot write without spoiling the book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's told in three parts: firstly from Ryusei's POV, then Chie's, and lastly through Fumi-nee's perspective. While all the characters were all likeable and interesting, my enjoyment of the book started to drop after Ryusei's perspective was finished as it was the only one written in first person. Also, I felt the wrapping up of the story was quite rushed in the third part and did not have the impact on me that the author probably intended for the reader. I'm all for magical realism and mystery in fiction, but I feel like it could've been improved a lot more.
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is the story of Miwako Sumida, a Japanese university student and her 3 closest friends after she suddenly commits suicide: Chie, Ryusei, and his older sister Fumi-nee. Over the course of the book, these three individuals set of on journeys (in both the literal and metaphorical sense) to find out what led the girl they all cared for so much to do so.
Although the prose is very simply written and seems to be suitable for a YA audience, there are some sensitive themes explored in the book including suicide and others that I cannot write without spoiling the book.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's told in three parts: firstly from Ryusei's POV, then Chie's, and lastly through Fumi-nee's perspective. While all the characters were all likeable and interesting, my enjoyment of the book started to drop after Ryusei's perspective was finished as it was the only one written in first person. Also, I felt the wrapping up of the story was quite rushed in the third part and did not have the impact on me that the author probably intended for the reader. I'm all for magical realism and mystery in fiction, but I feel like it could've been improved a lot more.