Sometimes the worst monsters are human. This book is the perfect example of that. Before I get into the review more, I just wanted to say that there were numerous times in this book that I was thankful that it was only fiction, only to be overwhelmed with the truth that this may actually be the reality for some people. And for that, I’m truly sorry.
Back to this poignant novel. It’s a tale of opposites, in more ways than one. An obvious way is the two main characters. She, Sumire, is closed off and shy, whereas, he, Nick, is charming and outgoing. When they meet, it’s a whole lot of negative emotions at once, but at the root of it all is misunderstanding. Perhaps the most touching juxtaposition comes from Sumire’s journey. It features touch in the worst possible way but also the good, healing, loving kind of touch, courtesy of Nick. The romance was wonderful and sweet but perhaps my favourite part of the novel was how Sumire really came in to her own and conquered the same demons in different forms.
The cast of characters is rich and well-developed (shout out to Mino-chan!) and the settings of LA and Japan are described in such great detail that you can’t help but feel the atmosphere. This is a great story that resonated with me, but does deal with graphic descriptions of potentially triggering subject matter. If you’re okay with that, then this is a book to read.