Content Warnings: Death of Parent, Cancer, Death of Child, Grief

Summary

There is a mysterious bookshop that comes only during the beautiful but temporary cherry blossom season. Inside the bookshop is a girl named Sakura and her cat named Kobako, who offers people healing through the power of books. Over the course of four seasons, we are taken on a journey with each visitor of the store and the book that connects them to their past. Sakura and Kobako helps each visitor confront their pain and opens the door to hope, acceptance and understanding.

 

Review

When I first saw this book, I was captivated by the stunning cover. The cascading cherry blossoms in front of the bookshop was dreamlike and inviting. Even the black and white e-book version of the book is just so beautiful. I am not familiar with the magical realism or healing fiction genres but I have been curious about them over the last few years. So, I was excited to read this book.

While reading, I was reminded of the book The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Natsukawa. The pacing of the book was very similar to The Cat Who Saved Books, it was slow. Each chapter focused on a different person encountering the bookshop at different times. They all were dealing with grief and missed opportunities with the people that they have lost. While the pacing was slow, I still wanted to dive deeper in the characters’  background or maybe how their lives have changed after they left the bookshop. For example, in one of the chapters the character had issues with their job that could’ve effectively ruined them. After they left the bookshop, there was no mention on what happened with their job, if they were able to clear their name and how they were inspired by their experience in the bookshop. There is a hint later on in the book but I still wanted to see more.  This was a common feeling I had while reading, like I was missing something in each chapter.

I really loved how the author brought to life the concept of a book taking someone to a new world. That is the main reason why anyone picks up a book is to escape from reality for a period of time. I feel like the author could’ve explored this concept further which would’ve given the readers more time with the characters and allowed them to connect. The twist at the end of the book was interesting. However, it did not have the impact that I think the author wanted. I am not sure if it was the delivery or the translation but it fell flat for me. Given the emotional impact that I was expecting from this book, I was disappointed by this book. I do think that this book will work for readers familiar with this genre and readers who are new to this genre as well.

Rating: 2.75/5

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