Translated by Eric Ozawa
4 stars
A sweet book of interconnected stories focusing on reunions, human connections, and acceptance of the past. Follow a young woman who claims to have a unique relationship with one of the café’s workers, a man coming to terms with the end of a relationship through an unexpected new one of a difference nature, and the daughter of the café owner as she experiences first love and deals with her feelings surrounding her sister’s death.
It took me a little bit to get into this one, but I ended up really enjoyed it. I loved getting to know the characters and seeing how they were all connected through the café. Calming and nicely paced, with some very heartfelt moments.
I also enjoyed the variety to relationships explored, from old friendships to crushes, romantic relationships to more parental ones, and the relationships between sisters and one’s own identity.
The characters deal with themes of grief, regret, forgiveness, and making amends. There are definitely heavier tones throughout the stories as they also experience death and thoughts of suicide.
Nice balance of heaviness and comfort.
A wonderful book that explores the meaning of happiness and living a content life.