A Serving of Hope

鴨川食堂 #4

by Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood (Translator)

A Serving of Hope, translated from the Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood, is the fourth book in the bestselling, heartwarming sleuthing series, perfect for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. This is an interconnected series, which can be read separately, or binged all at once!

If I hadn't searched for the 'flavours' of my memories, I think I would have spent my life endlessly chasing the past . . .

Near Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, the Kamogawa Diner continues to attract lost souls seeking meaning in their lives. From the morning miso soup before heading to Kyoto for the judicial examination, to the onigiri gifted alongside cherished promises, the ginger pork that became a memory of unrequited love, the not-too-sour chilled noodles from grandma's house, the fried chicken treated by the diner's owner to the struggling baseball team, to the macaroni gratin shared with my young son for the last time—welcome to the diner without a sign, where a chef father and a detective daughter await.

Welcome to another delicious mystery, the fourth installment in the series!

Genres: Japan, Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Japanese Literature, Food, Asian Literature

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 6, 2017

About the author

Hisashi Kashiwai was born in 1952 and was raised in Kyoto. He graduated from Osaka Dental University. After graduating, he returned to Kyoto and worked as a dentist. He has written extensively about his native city and has collaborated in TV programs and magazines.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[Laubythesea]

Es que los amo 🍱🥢

[JPons Romero]

De la serie, quizás, el que menos me ha gustado. Se vuelven las historias muy repetitivas.

[A Dreaming Bibliophile]

Thanks to NetGalley and Putnam for providing me with an eARC.

This was wholesome as ever. It follows the same formula as the previous books but the customer backstories are a little different. I still like reading every book from this series because I know what to expect and it's heartwarming. The food descriptions are very detailed so if you're into Japanese food, you'll love it. There's Drowsy the cat playing his cameo role perfectly. I also really like the explanation/reasoning behind how they found each recipe and how they typically find other info/news as well to provide closure apart from the recipe itself. You can definitely read this one as a standalone because a lot of things are explained multiple times. I would recommend this series if you like cozy Japanese books.

[Alex Pler]

"Lo más importante en un restaurante es pensar quién se sienta a la mesa y en cómo llegar a él. Cuando probaste aquel karaage en la Toritake, tu alegría fue auténtica. Y quiero que entiendas que ese deleite no nació de tu lengua ni de tu estómago, sino de tu corazón".

Volver a la taberna Kamogawa es volver a disfrutar de la comida hecha con alma y del esmero con el que Konishi y Nagare cuidan cada detalle para que la experiencia sea inolvidable. En esta ocasión algunas de las historias son más tristes de lo habitual, pero el gusto que dejan es tan reconfortante como siempre con esta saga.

[Álvaro Ibáñez Pérez Fajardo]

Una novela de té, calentita, reconfortante, a la que volver cuando el día aprieta y todo parece exigir una velocidad imposible.

La premisa es simple: en una pequeña taberna escondida de Kioto, un padre y una hija reconstruyen platos perdidos de la memoria de sus clientes. La comida aparece como un billete hacia uno mismo, un vehículo capaz de llevarte a lugares desaparecidos.

Aunque todos los relatos comparten prácticamente la misma estructura, esa cadencia repetitiva acaba teniendo un efecto hipnótico y extrañamente humano, y consigue que esa repetición juegue a su favor.

Me surge la dudad de cuanto participa este libro de esa imagen idealizada de Japón que circula en Occidente. Aquí aparece el Japón de callejones silenciosos, pequeños restaurantes familiares, gatos dormidos y personas que hablan bajito mientras cae la lluvia. Me tranquiliza saber que el autor es japonés, que estos libros han tenido gran éxito allí, y que precisamente esa voluntad de convertir la comida y los pequeños rituales cotidianos en una forma de memoria pertenece a cierta tradición cultural japonesa.

Es muy bonito que los misterios aquí no conduzcan a cadáveres ni conspiraciones, sino a tu propio ser. Por eso el libro resulta tan reconfortante.

Voy a hacerme un shogayaki.

[El baúl de las certezas]

4.5 / 5 ⭐

[Alba]

3 ½, no está mal, pero si te lo lees en una tarde se hace muy pesado. Es todo el rato la misma historia

[Kirsty]

Like a warm hug and a good soup

[Anafenix]

⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
Tras un tercer libro que me parecio excesivamente simple, este cuarto me ha gustado mucho más, los relatos siguen usando el mismo patrón pero en este, nuevamente las historias tienen muchos detalles y emoción, además de tener unos finales con sentimiento.

Son relatos para dejarte llevar, es una serie cozy, entretenida y que te lleva a un lugar feliz cargado de emociones, sentimientos, recuerdos y cocina.

Y narrados por Masumi Mutsuda ganan aún más.

Vuelve a estar a la altura del primer tomó.

[Milatxu]

Como las tres anteriores. Es más de lo mismo, pero a mí me gustan y me relajan.

[Gemma entre lecturas]

Los sabores secretos de la taberna Kamogawa confirma que Hisashi Kashiwai ha encontrado una fórmula tan sencilla como eficaz, convertir la comida en un puente hacia la memoria. Cada plato es mucho más que una receta; es la llave que abre recuerdos, despedidas, amores, culpas o reconciliaciones que permanecían atrapados en el tiempo.

Lejos de buscar grandes giros, el autor apuesta por relatos íntimos que invitan a detenerse y reflexionar sobre nuestras raíces, la familia y el poder de los pequeños gestos. La gastronomía no ocupa aquí un papel decorativo, sino que se convierte en un auténtico lenguaje emocional, capaz de despertar aquello que creíamos perdido.

Es una lectura cálida, pausada y humana, ideal para quienes disfrutan de las novelas japonesas de ritmo sereno y de las historias donde la nostalgia no pesa, sino que ayuda a comprender quiénes somos. Además, deja una pregunta que permanece mucho después de cerrar el libro: ¿cuánto de nuestra identidad habita en los sabores que recordamos?

Muy recomendable, incluso sin haber leído las entregas anteriores de la serie.


¡Feliz lectura! 

El primer volumen que leo. Tenéis más en mi blog

[Paola Rodríguez]

Otra entrega donde la cocina diversa de Japón y uno que otro plato europeo se describen de una forma que abre el apetito. Aunque sí puede ser un formato repetitivo, no necesita ser nada más para ser entretenido y lindo.
Amo esta serie de libros porque me recuerdan que las comidas de la cotidianidad son las que construyen el gusto, la alegría y el disfrute; y las que luego provocan nostalgia e introspección.

Citas favoritas:
- Hay que aprovechar mientras uno está vivo para comer cosas ricas.
-...no buscaban llamar la atención ni deslumbrar al comensal con adornos superfluos; eran, más bien, platos sobrios, pero irradianan la luz serena que surge de una sabiduría antigua.
-...lo que más le gustó del plato no fue su sabor ni su originalidad, sino el detalle tan amable que había tenido el cocinero con él.
-Los ingredientes exclusivos para las salsas que presumen de ser "secretas" pueden recordarse con la mente, pero no con el corazón. Lo más importante en un restaurante es pensar en quien se sienta a la mesa y en cómo llegar a él. [...] ese deleite no nació de tu lengua ni de tu estómago, sino de tu corazón.

[biblioteca_olvidada]

Volver a esta taberna es como volver a casa; ya siento a Nagare y a Koishi como si fueran mi propia familia. 🥺💖

En esta entrega volvemos a tener 6 historias preciosas que siguen el patrón al que ya nos tienen acostumbrados, pero esta vez me ha dado la sensación de que hay algunas más tristes que las anteriores. Sin embargo, ese regusto final de esperanza que te dejan al cerrar el libro... es sencillamente maravilloso. 🙏✨

​La ambientación es de otro nivel; te sientes totalmente en Kioto, visualizando cada callejón y cada rincón que describen en tu mente. 🇯🇵🍃
Me sigue maravillando el amor que Nagare pone en cada plato y cómo él y Koishi se implican en las vidas de quienes atraviesan su puerta. Además, me encantó el detalle de la importancia que se le da a la cerámica en cada receta; es una delicadeza que te hace disfrutar aún más de la lectura. 🏺🌸

​También me gustó mucho que Koishi tenga un poco más de protagonismo esta vez, pero tengo que ser fiel a mis sentimientos: mi favorito indudable y perpetuo sigue siendo Nagare. 💗 Es imposible no quererlo.

​Es una lectura tan cálida y reconfortante que ya estoy echando de menos a esta familia y a esta peculiar taberna.

¡Espero con muchísimas ganas que pronto traigan la siguiente parte! 🙏📖

[CESAR]

Es un placer volver,por cuarta vez, a la taberna Kamogawa en Kioto.
Allí nos esperan Nagare chef que te preparará platos que no podrás olvidar y su hija Koichi directora de la agencia de detectives de recetas perdidas.
Los clientes,cada uno con sus problemas,encuentran en esta taberna calma y escucha; buena comida y bebida y comprensión y cariño.
En este caso está bien empleada la palabra deliciosa.

[Xabier]

Vuelta a la Taberna Kamogawa a encontrar más recetas.
Tengo un tira y afloja con esta saga. Por un lado, me atrae mucho el propio concepto de la saga y las descripciones de los platos (y la cerámica japonesa). Pero por otro, siempre se me queda un poco corto. En este caso especialmente me ha echado un poco para atrás la moralina de los personajes en alguna de las historias. Cómo entretenimiento no está de más.

[Yamell Lizardo]

Audiolibro 🎧

Cuarta entrega de la saga, sigue el mismo patrón de las anteriores pero yo disfruto mucho de la gastronomía, de la relación padre e hija, además llega un momento que hasta los diálogos te lo sabes de memoria.....🤣🤣.

Y la música que ponen en la introducción de cada capítulo me relaja muchísimo.

[Idoia]

Si te gustaron las anteriores entregas está también te gustará. La verdad que leer cada una de las historias te abre el apetito y te hace querer volver a Japón a comer. Fan de Nagare y Koishi.

[Andrés]

Pues bueno! Un libro más de la Taberna Kamogawa... y un año entero antes del siguiente!

4/5. "Delicioso" como siempre!

[Saribook]

No es gran literatura, pero me gusta que describan la comida con tanto detalle.

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore]

Many thanks to Pan MacMillan for a review copy of this book via NetGalley.

The Kamogawa Food Detectives is among the Japanese feel-good series I enjoy every much, combining warm, sometimes bittersweet stories that have an emotional depth to them with food memories and a real love of food. It isn’t just the stories that stir the emotions but also the descriptions of the gorgeous (and sumptuous) meals Nagare Kamogawa prepares with much care in his diner. So when an invitation to read/review this title landed in my email, I naturally couldn’t resist and in fact also went ahead and almost immediately read it.

The books are centred around the Kamogawa diner, a small, inconspicuous and (seemingly) simple diner in Kyoto, with not even the usual signage, run by Nagare and his daughter Koishi, which, besides regular meals, offers a food detective service. This too is only publicised through a one-line advert in a gourmet magazine which the determined alone can catch onto and track down. Clients usually approach the agency with a food memory, a specific dish eaten usually long ago, either prepared by someone special in their life, or shared with a special person or at a special moment, which they wish to recreate, not always for memory’s sake alone but to take them to that same space emotionally which would help resolve what’s bothering them.

Each book features six separate episodes, all starting roughly the same with the client finding their way to the diner which isn’t easy to locate. They are served a set meal as a welcome and then put in their request, which Nagare and Koishi (mostly Nagare, really) take about a fortnight to fulfil, but it isn’t just a dish that the client gets, it is also the atmosphere in which it was first eaten, and sometimes even parts of their own story they were unaware of.

A Serving of Hope (2026), ably translated like the others in the series by Jesse Kirkwood, is the fourth in the series of which I’ve enjoyed the first two, but somehow missed the third. We have a range of clients from a law graduate struggling to pass the bar to the semi-retired head of a large company to the son of an old acquaintance/friend of Nagare, each seeking a specific dish—some very simple like miso soup and onigiri, and one even a western one, macaroni gratin. Nagare and Koishi go to great lengths to recreate these dishes, not only giving the client what they sought in terms of reviving the memory they wished to, but also enabling them to resolve the dilemma they are facing or move on from the situation that’s troubling them.

In this set of stories, all those who approach the diner are stuck in one way or another in a situation they haven’t been able to move on from—a job that isn’t quite working out or a relationship that’s ended but they haven’t been able to move on from (not necessarily a romantic one)—with the special meal enabling them to let go or figure out where to go next (we are mostly but not always privy to this). Nagare’s investigations have may be undertaken with the object of recreating a recipe (which he does) but they also reveal much more about the story the recipe is attached to, often working as revelations for the person concerned as well. He is also discerning enough to know when things are best left unsaid, and that it isn’t simply the dish (although prepared with great care) that revives the memory but also the surroundings and ambience.

Aside from being a set of feel-good stories, these also qualify as pieces of food writing. Each client when they arrive at Kamogawa is served a set meal—simply cooked but an elaborate set of dishes with seasonal ingredients, each served on specially chosen crockery, a feast for all the senses. The descriptions are so well done, that one can visualise what is being served and as the guest savours each dish, the reader does so with them, as we are told how they experience the delicate and subtle flavours and how each seasoning or sauce served adds to their taste. It is the same with the dish requested which may appear simple but still have their subtleties but there the memories take over rather than client being able to experience the dish itself.

The cat Drowsy is there of course, but Nagare makes sure he stays out of the diner. Most customers take to him, as well (many pats are involved), but his role is mostly ornamental.

A wonderful addition to the series, which like most of this genre is best enjoyed once in a way rather than reading too many back to back.

4.5 stars>/b>

[Steve]

My thanks to NetGalley and Putnam's for the eARC of a book set to be released on October 6, 2026. I have tried other "Iyashikei (癒し系), which literally means 'healing type' and refers to a genre of Japanese fiction designed to soothe and comfort readers", but it this series that I just gobble up when a new volume comes my way. This is the 4th to be translated and published in English, and was published in Japan in 2017. There appear to be only 3 more left. Jesse Kirkwood has done a fine job of translating this volume, and a few of their word choices shine. Plus, the whole tone to the book, which I imagine is the same as in the original Japanese.
A widowed policeman and his daughter run a small, unimpressive restaurant in Kyoto. But the food! And along with cooking, they go in search of recipes that mean something to someone's life. And, being Iyashikei, there is of course a cat.
For me it is food, beverage, plateware, and service that draws me to this series.
I also enjoyed this one a bit more, because a couple of the stories (there are 6) have clients who are not all that nice. But the father and daughter still offer to help. And there is information that they choose not to share at the "reveal". For me, a bit more complex than some of the other Iyashikei I have tried.
One of the joys of reading on a Kindle, or other e-reader device, is you can instantly look up obscure Japanese food, or where the beverage came from, or what the pattern looks like on a piece of service.
I am already looking forward to the next one!
Hisashi Kashiwai is a retired dentist, who has also written guidebooks to Kyoto, and a long series of mysteries under the name Keiichiro Kashiwagi (The Case Files Series of Detective Yutaka Hoshii). I hope some of both will be published in English in the future.
5 out of 5.

[S Mille]

The Kamogawa Food Detectives are a father-daughter duo. By day (so to speak) they run a dinner with delicious food; by night they’re a deceptive agency that tracks down lost dishes.

The plot is fairly simple: a new client comes to the restaurant, looking for a long lost dish. In some cases, it was something made by a lost love, or by lost son; in other cases, it was from a closed restaurant by memorable to a loved one. The client first enjoys a scrumptious meal made by father Nagare then is interviewed by daughter Koishi where we get to hear the story of why this dish is signifiant and why it’s lost. The team usually requests two weeks to recreate the dish, and then invites the client back to sample the dish and gain closure. The follow up is usually bittersweet, but hopeful. One case involves a woman who made mistakes in her past and lost her son; after tasting her recreated dish, it’s implied she might be able reunite with him. Another involves a man cheating on his wife with his high school sweetheart; it’s implied that he’s going to work on his unhappy marriage.

I’ve read a number of books in the Kamogawa Food Dective series, and they all have an elegant, almost mythical feel. Part of it’s because it a translation from Japanese and thus very different culturally, but there’s also an almost gentleness in them in how Nagare and Kioishi try to help their clients gain closure on part of their lives and move on through their lost dish, even if they disagree with the clients’ actions. Finally there’s the ongoing presence of Kikuko, Nagare’s wife and Kioishi’s mother who died some time ago, but who is still very much loved and honored.

Highly recommended! I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

[the society of inkdrinkers]

Story Highlights
Nagare and Koishi are a father and daughter who make up the Kamogawa Food Detective agency. Nagare serves up the most delicious food to people at the diner, but the real magic happens when they are commissioned to recreate meals for clients seeking closure.

Why you need to read it
This lovely series is a hug like a warm cup of tea for your soul.
Each client has a story to tell and why they desire the food they seek. Nagare and Koishi often have a story of their own to tell the client of what they discover while finding out how to make the dish. Each client comes looking for nostalgia and the answer to their problems, yet they leave with a renewed sense of self.

What I liked
I thoroughly enjoy the emotional stories about the dishes people chose. With each installment of this series, I contemplate what my dish would be and why. This series is a heartwarming reminder to relish the meals you have with loved ones.

It’s all in the details
The descriptions of the food are quite meticulous, expressing how eating is an experience itself. The diner is quaint and unimpressive, but Nagare serves the most delicious dishes anyone has ever had. He describes how he strives to connect with customers on an emotional level, the sensation of food tasting good comes from the heart.

Final musings
Translated fiction has a special place on my bookshelf. It gives me hope, settles down the noise from everyday life, and gives me a safe place to rest my mind. I encourage you to discover the magic of the delicious food detectives of Kamogawa diner.

Thank you Hisashi Kashiwai, Putnam, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Bookworm Denz]

A Serving of Hope
Author : Hisashi Kashiwai
Translator : Jesse Kirkwood

Who's ready to be back for more of this mouth-watering & delicious Japanese cuisine sequel? I am! Welcome back to the fourth book in the series! 😋🍜

To recap : Settled near the Higashi Honganji temple in Kyoto, stands the Kamogawa Diner, headed by chef Nagare & daughter Koishi, whose food served to the customers on the table, bring back not only nostalgia & forgotten cherished memories, but also revive the suppressed emotions that naturally come with it.

This 6-chapter novel narrates the story of this amazing father-daughter duo as they continue their detective agency business, tracking down the different dish requests received from various customers with their respective sundry background stories. From a clerk & law student, a hair stylist, a retired chairman, a jewellery designer, a restaurant consultant, to a nurse - all looking for answers or closure through memories associated with dishes related to important people in their lives, who either left or passed away.

Quite refreshing to hear Koishi taking the intiative once in a while to travel & do the actual detective stuff like what Chef Nagare usually does. It's also adorable to see her blush whenever she talks about her "boyfriend" Hiroshi. I also can't seem to get enough of Kyoto's delicacies. The meal Chef Nagare prepares & describes, make my mouth water a lot! The stories were also mostly poignant & emotional, but also full of hope. Wonderful as always!

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

P.S.

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[Lanie Brown]

Yoishi and Nagare, the father and daughter duo that make up the Kamogawa Food Detectives are back and serving up so truly heartwarming and heart breaking stories this time!

I loved each of these stories, of course, because I always do, however, this is the first time I have truly disliked two of their clients almost immediately. One was a man who cheated on his wife and told his mistress his wife was dead!! The other a well-off jewelry designer who clearly looked down on people with less status than she had. I mean they even annoyed Yoishi so that's saying something. However, by the end they had (mostly) redeemed themselves in my eyes.

This volume features a lot of very simple recipes like onigiri and miso soup so I was kind of surprised that in a couple of cases it seemed very difficult to track down the recipes. However, each one truly did come with a heart warming story about the person who had made the food for the client originally.

This is my favorite from the series yet for sure! I think it's because there was some conflict with the clients and Yoishi and her dad. Like obviously her dad is not going to be judging anyone out loud, but he definitely ensures that he very nicely puts the two clients I dislike in their place. He has such a quiet way about him that I feel like they will definitely take his advice to heart.

Of course, I recommend this series, but as always eat first so you're not starving like I am by the end of it!!

As always thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for the eArc!

[Pujashree]

Every book in this is a perfectly calibrated comfort dish, that even repeated elements don't bore you anymore. At this point, if you're still reading them, you're probably not looking for anything earth-shatteringly different. The things that change only reiterate why this format fits you so well. The sumptuous and creative dishes of Nagare's set menu, the stories about deep emotional connections that every client has with the dish they're looking to get recreated, the addendum to that story that is unveiled in the search of that dish whent be client comes back, and the playful banter between Nagare and Koishi as they live their life. The dishes themselves are by large very simple ones like Miso Soup or Onigiri, but the stories around them reminded me of how even the simplest dishes have such deep roots in how people's lives unfold. You get a sense of comfort and conviction and also a connection to a fabric of history bigger than yourself and your memory. I enjoyed that Koishi is starting to step in and try to be the one who does the investigating a few times in this one, to various degrees of success. Also that Nagare isn't without his own feelings about the client's character and history, and makes it known in subtle ways. Every time I sit down with these books, though, I end getting super hungry and have a deep hankering to go eat my way around Japan. Inconvenient, but hardly a fault. Thanks to Netgalley for the ebook ARC.

[Suzie]

PUBLISHER:
"Welcome to another delicious mystery. The Kamogawa Diner is a tonic for the soul, and its customers will leave with a warm belly and a full heart"

MY THOUGHTS:
A calm feeling of inner peace comes from reading Hisashi Kashiwai's Food Detectives books. Japanese healing fiction is one of my very favorite genres. No one does it better than Kashiwai. Jesse Kirkwood does a great job with the translation.

In A Serving of Hope, the father/daughter team serves up hope to six customers who are longing for a taste from their memories of the past. They are never disappointed due to the diligence of the detective daughter---and, occasionally the father. The cat from the cover also makes an appearance in each episode---I do love this little cat.

One of the things I enjoy about this book are the food choices and descriptions. I like to look them up on Google are read about them. I look forward to the next book as soon as I finish the newest. The perfect feel-good read for a stressful day.

Thank you to #NetGalley #PutnamPublishing for the ARC to read w/o obligation to review. I review books I love so that others can enjoy them, too.

[Maggie]

A Serving of Hope feels like a cozy Sunday brunch at your favorite restaurant, where everyone knows your name, after a long time away.

The Kamogawa Diner serves not only an incredible set menu, but also a bite of hope. It’s a place for people seeking to relive meaningful moments in life through the taste, touch, and smell of the meals that made them. Each chapter features a distinct dish that Nagare has to investigate and recreate using details that Koishi has gathered from the client.

By now, the father-daughter duo that run the restaurant and adjoined detective agency feel like old friends of mine. This is my fourth Kamogawa read, and I loved it just as much as the last three. This one touches on grief, regret, and the possibility still ahead in life but never loses the cozy, immersive feel that I love.

4.5/5 ⭐️

Thank you so much to Putnam Books and NetGalley for providing a digital arc of this book! Opinions expressed in this review are 100% authentic and my own.

P.S. Please give us a cookbook!

[Dana]

I simply adore this series of cozy Japanese food detective stories and I was thrilled to get a chance to read the next installment ahead of its publication date in October 2026. It is more of the same, which is a very good thing!

Some readers may find these books to be too repetitive, but that is part of the charm of the stories for me. Getting to know the characters only very briefly, learning tiny bits and pieces about the father/daughter detective agency along the way, the wonderful descriptions of the food, the cat who is not allowed inside, the hall with the hundreds of pictures of food on the walls... The little details stay the same but the food memories are unique to each story. Six chapters, each with its own food memory, make up this little book, and if you have enjoyed the first books, you will probably like this one too. They do not need to be read in order, so jump right in!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[kimberley (thearieslibrary)]

4.5 ⭐️ rounded to 5 ⭐️

Welcome to the Kamogawa Diner, where every meal is a mystery ready to be solved. It’s run by a father-daughter duo who not only serve food but are detectives, delving into the past to produce nostalgic dishes for their clients.

This is one of my comfort read series that I go to when I need a book that I know I will love and feels like a warm hug when I’m back with characters that I love.

The characters are some of the highlights of this series for me. Love getting to know the backstories of what brings the customers to the food detectives and the joy that I get when they get the dishes right is unmatched. You can feel the nostalgia dripping off the page when the dishes are recreated, which I love to witness.

A lot more repetition in this one than the others in the series, which I understand because there are so many ways that you can say the same thing when the plot follows a specific formula.

Jesse does a fantastic job of translating this series and I hope there are still many more instalments to come! If you’re a fan of translated fiction, I definitely recommend checking this one out.

⚠️ CWs: illness, grief, weight comment, alcohol use, cheating, abandonment, death, dementia; mentions drowning, boat accident ⚠️