川のほとりに立つ者は

by Haruna Terachi, 寺地 はるな

カフェの若き店長・原田清瀬は、ある日、恋人の松木が怪我をして意識が戻らないと病院から連絡を受ける。
松木の部屋を訪れた清瀬は、彼が隠していたノートを見つけたことで、恋人が自分に隠していた秘密を少しずつ知ることに――。
「当たり前」に埋もれた声を丁寧に紡ぎ、他者と交わる痛みとその先の希望を描いた物語。

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 20, 2022

Reviews

[Zeta9991 · Rating 3 out of 5]

allora ci teniamo bassi perché essendo in giapponese credo di aver capito un 35% della storia. Il piano è continuare a rileggerlo finché non sarò soddisfatta della mia comprensione 😂

[Kathryn Hemmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman named Kiyose was recently promoted to the position of manager at a café, but all is not well. One of her employees is a constant source of frustration, and she hasn’t spoken to her long-term boyfriend Matsuki since they had an argument about how she should handle the matter.

One day, Kiyose randomly gets a call from the hospital informing her that Matsuki is in a coma. As Kiyose investigates Matsuki’s background, she learns that he was teaching an adult with dyslexia how to write so that he could pass letters to a woman trapped in an abusive housing situation.

After learning about the discrimination faced by Matsuki’s friend, Kiyose begins to understand how unfair it is to tell someone with a disability that they’re just not trying hard enough. She realizes that she was being cruel to her employee, and she resolves to make her café a more accessible space.

It’s always good to see sympathetic stories about invisible disability, and I enjoyed watching the mysteries of the story slowly unravel. I’d recommend this novel to anyone looking for a fast-paced and wholesome character drama driven by hidden secrets being brought to light.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a relatively simple plot, but does a nice job of exploring the titular rivers that separate people from understanding each other's thoughts and experiences. The corona setting added an extra layer of tension and unease to the mystery that Kiyose is trying to solve about her ex-boyfriend. It also touches on learning and developmental disabilities and their treatment in Japanese society, which was interesting to read about. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

[ru7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

自分がずっと言葉にしたかったことを、言葉にしてくれているような文章でとても好きだった。