A review by 810ml
Heaven by Mieko Kawakami

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book genuinely changed parts of how I view my life. Its so real and raw and the author isnt afraid to make violent scenes vivid. Everything about this book from the structure to the way it presents itself is amazing. At first look, you'll think its a "them vs. us" story where theres a clear black and white villain and hero. Mieko shows that bullying is much more complicated than that, and by showing that even our main characters aren't all that likeable, the idea of it being a "good vs. bad" book gets thrown out the window. Each character has their own belief system, and life outside of the book. The unfinished ending adds to its rawness as it leaves us with more questions than answers, but thats just it – we will never truly get the full story of someones life. We merely looked into our nameless main character's life and stepped out of it. Will the bullying continue? How is he?, we will never know however we do know that life for these characters will continue on despite everything. There is no closure. 
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