あなたに安全な人

by Kumi Kimura, 木村 紅美

人を死なせた女と男の、孤独で安全な逃亡生活――。3.11直前の少年の死をめぐる海難事故と、沖縄新基地建設反対デモ警備中の出来事が、「感染者第一号」を誰もが恐れる地で交差する。

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Japanese Literature, Contemporary, Novella, Literary Fiction, Literature

152 pages

First published October 27, 2021

About the author

Kumi Kimura is a Japanese writer. She won the Literary World Newcomer Award for her debut novel, and has subsequently been shortlisted twice for the Akutagawa Prize and won the Bunkamura Deux Magots Literary Prize. Someone to Watch Over You is her first work to be translated into English.

Reviews

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On:
The Book Review Crew Blog

I don't know if something got lost in translation or what, but this should have been a book I loved. The story takes place during the pandemic in 2020. Just a note, I have no issues reading about COVID, and I've seen other reviewers describe this as strange or odd, and I have to agree. Tae is a school teacher in her 40s, and Shinobul is a handyman in his mid-30s, and they share a home during the isolation of the pandemic. During their stay, the entire community that they live in is angry, hostile and distrustful of everyone they don't know.

I think the author was going for the emotional side of things, but it fell short for me, and this was a missed opportunity to explore the power of connection during a difficult and scary time. The premise was a good one, and Kimura tries to show loneliness in a new light and how past mistakes haunt us. But it felt one-dimensional and superficial to me. I am trying to explain things as best I can without spoilers. Let me say it didn't seem enlightening or new. The pacing was a bit slow, and the story was drawn out on the smaller details that added nothing to the plot or moved the story forward. And then some parts felt rushed, so the emotional impact couldn't be felt.

Overall, the book tries to tug at the heartstrings and fails. It felt too forced to me. If you're looking for a truly profound story about the human condition (and connection), this one may leave you wanting more, as it did me. This just proves that a good premise isn't enough to pack an emotional punch. (Then again, it may be my small, cold robot heart.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Liong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated 3.5 ⭐

This story is about two people who feel very alone and scared during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

It shows how people deal with loneliness in quiet and unusual ways.

I like that this book feels tense and uneasy, even though not much action happens. 👍😨😱

Two protagonists, Tae and Shinobu, are hurt by their past and feel ashamed and paranoid.

They don’t trust each other much, but still try to understand and connect.

The story shows how hard it is to feel safe when the world feels dangerous.

There are no easy answers or happy endings here.

It’s about how much we all need someone to care about us, even just one person.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a short novella and experience the quiet, emotional style of Japanese literature.

[Alwynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense, brooding novella from award-winning, Japanese author Kimura Kumi. This centres on two deeply-isolated individuals, a former schoolteacher Tae in her mid-forties who lives alone and homeless handyman Shinobu in his mid-thirties. Both have returned to their hometowns from Tokyo. It’s the early stages of the Covid pandemic and the local community is hostile, suspicious of anyone they consider an outsider, so much so it’s rumoured that the death of a retiree who’d recently relocated there may have been murder. Responsibility, anxiety and guilt are key concerns, both Tae and Shinobu are consumed with the notion that they may have caused someone to die: for Tae her former pupil; for Shinobu a protestor during a stint as a security guard. By chance Tae and Shinobu meet and gradually form a tentative, if awkward and unsettling, bond.

It’s a gripping piece, a menacing variation on a slice-of-life story that sometimes reads like an off-kilter thriller. Kimura consciously builds on real-life incidents: her own past protesting military installations; a news piece about a man who mysteriously burned to death in early 2020. But her focus is very much on atmosphere and states of mind, as well as constructing a portrait of Japan as challenging and essentially alienating. A place comprised of tight-knit, judgemental communities, riddled with rigid conventions, a space where it’s relatively easy for anyone who doesn’t quite conform to be relegated to the periphery. Translated by Yuki Tejima.

Thanks to Edelweiss and publisher Pushkin Press for an ARC

Rating: 3.5

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone to Watch Over You is a very strange novel that lies firmly in the Japanese literary fiction genre.

The story follows two misfits - Tae, a schoolteacher who has been blamed for the death of a student and who now spends her days in fear of reprisals and Shinobu, a former security guard turned handyman who knocked a protestor over causing her death.

The pair find each other during Covid and quickly form a strange bond that strengthens over the months that follow as they try to absolve themselves of their guilt.

The atmosphere throughout this novella is extremely claustrophobic not only using the fear of infection from strangers but also the threat from those who hold them responsible for the deaths they have been accused of causing.

They are both strange and isolated characters whose connection is permanently under strain and all this culminates in a disturbing but compelling story that is hard to stop reading.

Recommended for fans of Japanese literary fiction.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the advance review copy.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this about 5 am this morning and it is like a very long short story. Two people are dependent on each other but they are too detached which is very strange. It was interesting and I kept hoping it would come to a happy conclusion but like real life it just went on with strange detachment partly due to covid. He slept downstairs so she felt safe upstairs. However, by the end I do believe he was dying as he was not eating enough. It was too strange but interesting. I was never bored while reading this book.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a curious read - set at the start of the Covid period -bringing together two people finding themselves isolated by the virus but also by people in their community. A short novella with a brooding feeling

Both believe they are being accused of the death of two people in their respective pasts : Tae , a former teacher, is accused of turning a blind eye leading to the suicide of one of her students whilst Shinobu has accusations pointed towards him of pushing a woman during a demonstration and who subsequently died.

The two paths cross when Tae needs a plumber and Shinobu responds to her request. Initially they do not meet as Tae keeps them isolated because of the virus. But as the accusation against Tae continues, she finds she needs support in her isolation and so begins the story of this unique connection. Lonely souls brought together during a time of personal and international fear.

The prose is “to the point “ - in some senses minimal but this replicates the communication between the two- hand written notes and short conversations between closed doors and walls.

Like many Japanese novels there is a sense of melancholy and surrealism - but ultimately this is a story about friendship; the need for connection and safety with another human.

[Rachel Louise Atkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange book but I liked what it had to say about relationships and paranoia. The main woman in this refused to show kindness to one of her neighbours before he died and now she is being accused of being the cause of his death. She goes increasingly mad without realising it and forms a strange bond with another man who has been accused of murder. I thought the writing was really direct and it was a quick read, I didn’t blow me away but I liked how it explored the toxicity of communities and feeling uncanny inside your own home.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have been reading a slew of pandemic novels lately; some where it's incidental and others where it's central to the plot. This Japanese literary novella is definitely the latter, but it gave me something quite different to reflect on.

The two main characters, Tae a middle-aged former teacher and Shinobu a younger handyman, seem very different at first. But as we slowly get to know them we realise they have more in common than meets the eye. Both have moved away from Tokyo back to the smaller places where their families come from, and yet both are viewed with suspicion and treated as outsiders. They also each hide a big, dark secret that conflicts them, causing them feelings of shame/guilt and insecurity. Tae first meets Shinobu when she hires him for a simple plumbing job. Then when she becomes paranoid about someone lurking around her property, she hires him again to search and secure the yard.

He doesn't mind because he has literally nothing else going on, and it gets him away from his brother's house where he is barely tolerated and is expected to live in a storage shed. Eventually Tae's needs escalate to the point where Shinobu is invited to stay overnight, which turns into several nights, then a kind of ongoing informal arrangement. But because it's the early stages of the pandemic, there's a lot of suspicion of outsiders and elaborate disinfection rituals that need to occur. This odd couple resorts to communicating through doors and via notes, and even by the ringing of bells when even simple words are too much effort.

I was completely absorbed in this story and read it over just 2 days. The thing that I found set it apart from other Covid stories was the small(er) town Japanese perspective of shame associated with infection. There might have been a little bit of that where I live in the very early days, but not to the point of avoiding testing or treatment. It was eye-opening.

With thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for a digital ARC to read and review.

[Netanella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A GR friend told me that this was a bit of a odd story, and indeed it was. It's a story set in the pandemic in Japan, about two individuals, a middle aged schoolteacher living alone in her inherited house, and an out-of-work and homeless handyman, as they decide to share the home. Both individuals are seemingly outcasts in Japanese society - they have both tried and failed at making it in big city Tokyo, and they both have "blemishes" on their pasts, having been accused of causing another person's death. Complete garbage, actually, as we learn the true nature of the events, but these two people are haunted by these events. The school teacher's house and car are graffitied, and the handyman's own young niece is blackmailing him for money. More than anything, I think, the story critiques the culture and society of modern Japan, the judgmental attitudes of neighbors that exclude those who don't fit in. It's a sad story, but quite compelling written. I'm glad to have found it.

[Bella Azam · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd read #JanuaryInJapan. A puzzling, slightly bizarre novella of an unexpected connection between two lonely people during the pandemic. Devoured this in 2 hours which I didnt expect to read it today but there is barely a plot but an interesting takes on isolation & loneliness during Covid & how two unseemingly people brought together by a strange fate. The ending left at an unsettling note of not knowing what exactly happened to them. It was an easy read but will left you confused for the most part. Thank u to Pushkin Press & Edelweiss for the e-arc! The novella is expected to be released in June 2025

3.5 stars

[Jumi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone to Watch Over You

by Kumi Kimura

Translated from Japanese by Yuki Tejima

Genre: Literary Fiction 

Pages: 144

Rating: 5/5


The title describes the book's ethos to the hilt, everyone, even the loneliest of soul, needs someone to watch over us, and by hook or crook, we always find that someone, if not in humans, then in gods and dogs. This novella doesn't feature any pet or dog, these references comes from my analysis of the themes in Someone to Watch Over You.


The setting of the novella is the beginning of the Covid pandemic; like many workers then, the two protagonists have returned from Tokyo to their hometown and are mostly living isolated, masked lives. The crux of the story lies in the relationship that forms between the two, a forty-six years old woman, Tae and a thirty-four years old man, Shinobu; their relationship highlights our need for companionship even when we are running away from the world.


The novella has an unsettling atmosphere, created by the pandemic of course, but also by the inner state of the minds of the protagonist, both of whom have secrets plaguing their minds, and are living a life of uncertainty heralded by the Covid. Tae is OCD driven, Shinobu exists almost at the edges of society.


I am not sure if the characters are actively going through an existential crisis, they are mostly too embroiled in their current situations to reflect too deep; but reading their story will surely make readers pause and explore the anxiety, dread, alienation and despair that accompanies such pondering. Or is it not an existential crisis but a mental health condition that plagues the two, especially Shinobu who's losing his strength and appetite? The novella doesn't answer these questions, readers will have to find the answers themselves, through their own life experiences and understanding, and it is here that the ultimate beauty of the novel resides. 


At a very personal level, I was quite creeped out when I found some juvenile blackmailing stints reassuring for the protagonist, because those stints also says that someone is watching over the protagonist, that they are not alone.


The writing style is minimal, it leaves a lot of space for introspection, which is a characteristic seen in many East Asian fictions like Japanese and Korean. And true to this characteristic, the novella is rich in its 'show, not tell' emotional exploration of the two protagonists. The characters and their stories draw in the readers deep into the pages, to the extent that at one point I felt as if everything was actually unfolding in front of my eyes. 


What is surprising is that despite diving deep into unsettling emotions and atmosphere, this book leaves readers with a sense of standstill peace—a pause that brings some kind of comfort. I can also tell you why this happens, but it will lead to a spoiler. 


My thanks to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for offering me a free copy of this novella in lieu of an honest review.


Q: Do I recommend Someone to Watch Over You by Kumi Kimura to my fellow readers?

A: Absolutely ❤️

[Suki J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in Japan, during the initial COVID outbreak, we follow a woman who hires a handyman to unblock her drains. They are both haunted by incidents that happened earlier in their lives, and through a series of events, he ends up residing in her house and essentially acting as her security guard.
There is a feeling of unease and claustrophobia that escalates the longer they live together which I found effective. I think if I were to have an issue with the book it was that I felt fairly disconnected from the characters, but nevertheless I enjoyed it.

[Girija (thesacredwhispers) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Achyuth Murlei · Rating 3 out of 5]

The novel has a constant partner in the form of a grey cloud, hovering over its every syllable, yet the minimalist style of writing leaves the reader praying for a twist in fate, for once, in favour of the leading characters.

In a dash to escape from their troubled past, the paths of a (morally questionable) handyman and a former schoolteacher converge by fate in a world fraught with the effects of the coronavirus. Trading privacy for safety, the two protagonists live lonely lives at opposite ends of the same house, each playing the role of a stipulated observer of the other, never interfering through action or speech.

Themes of Isolation and Mistrust

In a world filled with mistrust, trust becomes a commodity—hoarded like food and tissues—taken without careful inspection in the name of 'mutual beneficence.' The detachment forces the reader to understand the dynamic of the protagonists in subtle actions and words unspoken. Are you really in exile if you are with someone? Despite distress and distrust, the need for even a small community is evident.

Writing Style

Though a quick read in terms of page count, the novel is emotionally dense. Its minimalist style strips away excess, leaving behind raw emotion and quiet tension, whether in a shopping centre or within the confines of the protagonists’ home. The atmosphere remains heavy throughout, mirroring the uncertainty and isolation of the pandemic itself.

An Open-Ended Conclusion

The ending is inconclusive and open-ended, mirroring the lives of so many during the global pandemic. As much as we'd like to know "why Shinobu did not eat" among other unanswered questions, the novel suggests that not everything has a reason just like we all had peculiar habits during the lockdown.

Conclusion

The book does not seek to offer solace through an uplifting moral or a happy ending. Instead, it delves into raw emotion and human impulse in times of hardship and paranoia. It pushes the reader to question what kind of person they would have been in their place and whether that identity is genuine or merely a transient reaction destined to fade into memory.

Thank you Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the digital copy. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

[Kelsey Deveraturda · Rating 3 out of 5]

sometimes you just need someone! did not vibe with either of the characters but you are the company you keep...

[Divine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone to Watch Over You is a perfect snapshot of the prosaic terror enveloping people's lives during the COVID pandemic and how fear over something we don't truly understand can morph into something cruel. For something so recent and tragic, you would think there would be more drive to remember this time of terror. To remember the global panic, remember the fear of our mortality, and to remember how to be a human. But alas, it is a time that the vast majority would actually rather forget.

This short novella is a breath of fresh air as it punches through this somewhat collective memory loss people often cling to when it comes to COVID. More than the exploration of survival, fear, and isolation, this little book explores how people find their place in the world in such a time.

How do we ensure that our sense of self is intact when our lives are dictated by fear? How do we survive in isolation, without the presence of family or community to keep us warm in a dreary time? How is it that we can be so apathetic in the face of compassion just because we're unfamiliar with it?

Questions like these are what makes this novella feel like a gut-punch. Because at some point in our lives, we forget how to be a proper human as we let our fears inform our judgment. Someone to Watch Over You is in itself a revelation of how fear can morph into mental illness. I'm not really familiar if the author has a history of mental illness, but to me, they have perfectly captured the ugly and isolating picture of what OCD and anxiety can morph into.

It's incredibly accurate but thoughtful in its portrayal. In a way, the true message of this novella for me is how mental illness cannot thrive in a space where love and community exists. Sometimes, what people really need is for someone to watch over them as they navigate this life.

----
Thank you so much to the publisher, Pushkin Press and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

A weird pandemic novel. Two lonely people end up together and become even more paranoid and loopy. I’m not sure what I was supposed to take from this. Something about Japanese society I guess.

[An · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book like many other Japanese horror stories, uses elements of paranoia and loneliness to create a claustrophobic experience. There are several loose ends, but they seem intentional. While the book isn’t particularly profound, the reading experience was enjoyable and the vibes were on point.
Thank you, Pushkin Press and Edelweiss for the ARC.

[Amy ☁️ (tinycl0ud) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think what this book is asking is: as human beings, what do we owe to one another? It is the year of the pandemic. The two main characters, Tae and Shinobu, are social outcasts and completely alienated but it’s not like they’re victims.

Tae is a middle-aged woman living off her savings by herself. Twenty years ago, she was a teacher until a student of hers left her a note accusing her of making his life miserable by grouping him with bullies. The student died in what seemed to be a drowning accident, but both she and his father know it might be suicide. Coincidentally, her neighbour who moved in during the height of the pandemic paranoia also committed suicide after he couldn’t take the isolation, and she feels in some way responsible for having contributed to that. When she starts fearing for her own safety, she invites a homeless man, Shinobu, to live with her rent-free in exchange for watching over her house.

Shinobu was a victim of a love scam and ended up being at the mercy of his older brother’s family, but everyone hates him because they thought he was a lecherous pedophile over a misunderstanding. It is also hinted that he likely is, what with how he views his niece and his attempts at controlling his behaviour. He agrees to move in with Tae because it’s better than roughing it outdoors through the seasons. We also find out that he may have indirectly caused the death of an activist.

I noticed that whenever the narrative POV switches, they never refer to each other by name—it’s always “the man” or “the woman”—remaining essentially strangers. Despite their close quarters and similar lifestyles/ haunting pasts, the pair fail to establish any kind of connection or shared routine; instead they seem to be somnambulists spending their lives with their eyes closed to the world, each other, and themselves.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really strange story, in which practically nothing normal happens, but the author has an uncanny ability to make even the most absurd things extremely plausible.

Una storia veramente strana, in cui praticamente non succede niente di normale, ma l'autrice ha una paritcolare abilitá a rendere anche le cose piú assurde, estremamente plausibili.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Alison Fincher · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...Ultimately, Someone to Watch Over You is about two people who have made mistakes and who were lonely long before COVID-19 made its way to Japan. They both live in a depopulated, shrinking town that was lonely already, too, and had already begun to eat itself alive; the pandemic has only sped up the process. It hasn’t actually changed their lives in any meaningful way, any more than moving in together makes either Shinobu or Tae less lonely. They’re just two more spirits in a town resounding with echoes of the departed."

Read my full review in the Asian Review of Books:
https://asianreviewofbooks.com/someon...

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dark and haunting novella that was set during the pandemic years of COVID-19. I followed Tae; a former teacher who is haunted by the death of her previous student, and Shinobu; a former security guard having a shady mysterious past in their tales of living together under an odd domestic arrangement that occured after Tae hired Shinobu to watch over her home as a handyman in exchange for lodging and food.

An ambiguous storytelling with nothing too twisty but gripping much for its quiet, unsettling slowburning tone following both the lockdown and the matters revolved around their past— of the guilt, grief and shame that brought them to retreat for both social and emotional detachment. Loved that whirling fear and paranoia in their POVs, bit tense, psycho thrilled and I liked their entwined dynamics through that little interaction and minimal trust. No definite ending which bit a miss to me but overall well written for a pandemic, isolation and human connection theme.

[Danni · Rating 4 out of 5]

buckle. the. f. up.

the story is set in the the early days of 2020, as the world shuts down in fear, this novel follows two strangers trying to outrun their pasts. a former security guard, infamous for knocking down a protester who later died, and a disgraced teacher, accused of driving a student to suicide, end up sharing a home. but instead of companionship, they settle into a tense, wordless existence—communicating only through notes, never truly acknowledging each other’s presence.

this is a novel that thrives on silence. the characters keep their distance, physically and emotionally, creating an atmosphere thick with unease. there's no trust, no real connection, just two people hiding in the same space, hoping the outside world forgets them. but as the days stretch on, the question lingers: can you really escape the past, or does it seep into the walls, into your own mind, until there’s nowhere left to run? i also love that it captures the eerie unreality of those first pandemic months—the isolation, the paranoia, the way time seemed to slow down. more than that, it’s a sharp, unsettling look at guilt and what it means to live under the weight of your worst mistake. there is no neat resolution here, no redemption arc—just a creeping tension that stays with you long after you turn the last page.

it really was a heavy, heartbreaking read, but one that feels painfully real. a story about disconnection, fear, and the thin line between survival and self-destruction. HAUNTING, but in the best way.

4.5 stars ⭐️

[Karissa ₊˚⊹ ᰔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review: Someone to Watch Over You by Kumi Kimura
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

First off, thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

So, Someone to Watch Over You had such an interesting premise, and I was really excited going into it. The idea of a mysterious guardian watching over someone, mixed with suspense and some emotional depth, totally caught my attention. The writing itself was really immersive, and I liked how the author built this eerie, almost dreamlike atmosphere.

That being said, I had a hard time fully connecting with the characters. There were moments where I felt like I was almost getting invested, but then the pacing would slow down or the dialogue would feel a little stiff. I also wish some of the plot points had been developed more, certain twists felt rushed, while other parts dragged a bit.

Overall, I think this book had a lot of potential, and there were definitely moments that kept me hooked. If you like slow burn mysteries with a surreal touch, you might enjoy this one! But for me, it was just okay, good, but not great.

[LX · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Pushkin Press & NetGalley for the ARC!!

3.25 stars!

I will admit, straight off the bat, at time I felt myself losing connection to reading this. But when I did get down to getting back to it, I felt myself pulled to know more. I expected to love this more but it was still one heck of a read.

It really holds so much within such a short story about alienation, loneliness, guilt, anxiety, iolation, paranoia etc. such strong things that are expressed so well.

But I wish I felt that Tae was more developed than Shinobu, that would have really maybe bumped it up.

This is a joining of two people that are guilt ridden that they may have caused someone to die. The writing is excellent and as true to Japanese fiction holds all the little details that make the novel feel so real as if you're watching someones life for real.

[Anna Husband · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be an interesting story highlighting the need for human connection and the lengths individuals will go to feel less alone.
This was a thoughtful story with a melancholy theme throughout.
The ending left me wanting a little more, but I’m torn between it being due to the particular genre or the author’s style. I always appreciate exposing myself to works from other cultures as there is such a different style and much that can be appreciated from it.

It’s short enough that I would recommend to those curious about this piece. Especially for those who loved Before the Coffee gets Cold.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this work in exchange for an honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone To Watch Over You offers a dip into the lives of two complex and deeply troubled characters. The story lives in a fog of paranoia, suffocating and isolating; a well-suited atmosphere for the circumstances these two find themselves in.
The start was a bit confusing to me and feels slightly disjointed, diving straight into their mental worries and anxiety-ridden thoughts with very little grounding, but ultimately pays off by unsettling the reader from the start.
The story felt real, though frustrating. I could personally not empathise with either of the two but I did feel a sort of pity/worry for both of them.
Worth the read, short, but no less gripping.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Pushkin Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

Don't really remember anything about this at this point but I do remember feeling very weirded out by the interactions with the niece, though I did like how the two people were able to find an unconventional companionship. Maybe there was kind of too much going on for such a short book - also exploring things like the pandemic, social media cancelling, and mental health.

[crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving it 1 star because it was just too confusing for my liking. I had to go back and re read pages. It didn’t make a lot of sense to me. It wasn’t really a memorable book i’ll probably forget everything I read by tomorrow. I’m sure some would really like it but it’s just not for me unfortunately.

[Apollos Michio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone to Watch Over You is a story about two societally disconnected people finding some sort of connection in each other. 🚶🏻‍♂️‍➡️🚶🏻‍♀️‍➡️

These two people have been let down by life, by their family and the people around them. But there is hope, despite the barrenness of the town they live in (due to the coronavirus) and the chill of the winter setting, of being uplifted by someone else equally plagued with pain and regrets. 🫂

Despite the quiet story illuminating the ache of loneliness and social isolation, this was a comforting read for me. If you enjoyed Heaven by Mieko Kawakami, you might enjoy this book too! ❄️