This was an interesting book…a short book, but the way that it was written and the context that it was given made it a harder book to read for me. But an interesting take on what it means to be alone and to be lonely.
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Allison Markin Powell
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As stated above, this is a short book and when I first checked it out from the library, I thought that I would be able to make my way through it in a blast. That was a falsehood and a lie apparently, to myself. It took me quite a while to make my way through this book, and part of that is because of how heavy it seemed to be.
The premise of this book is about loneliness and what it means to be alone, especially if you live in a largely urban area and are surrounded by people all the time. But just because you are surrounded by people all the time doesn’t mean you know who they are or what they are doing or anything that would constitute knowing a person. So, when Tsukiko, our main character, runs into her old high school teacher at a local bar, she starts up a conversion with him, just as a person would if you saw someone you know and you can’t get away with NOT acknowledging them. As they continue to talk and to get to know each other at the bar, they move from just people who acknowledge each other at the bar, to actually getting to know each other as friends, tentatively and slowly, as though not to spook the other.
As they continue to meet up and talk and eat and drink together, the seasons of the year also progress, with something significant happening and changing along with them, until Tsukiko and her Sensei form an intimate relationship, one that isn’t quite seen as normal, as Sensei is 30 years older than Tsukiko. But the thing about being lonely and being alone, is that once you’ve found a similar soul, who knows the aches and pains on loneliness, then you are loath to let that person go. And even if you’re willing to let that person go, it doesn’t mean that they let go of you. We see Tsukiko and Sensei struggle and glide through figuring out their relationship, not only with each other but with the world, what it means to have found someone who understands the loneliness.
While a short book (157 pages), it is a long story. The writing style and topic chosen to be scrutinized doesn’t lend itself to a quick read. Sometimes that is what is needed to better understand the story, to read it at the speed that the story demands, and not what you demand.
How do you cope with loneliness? Or with trying to read a story quickly that demands a bit more introspection?
I have had this book on my physical shelves for a couple of years. I actually won it as a prize for my library’s Summer Reading Program. It just sounded like it would be an excellent book of magic and fantasy set in the 1960s in Colorado.
The second volume of 
I’m so excited to be reviewing this book finally because it’s taken me for-fricken’-EVER to get to it! And now I get to review it and tell the world just how much I love this!!!
This sounded like a cute book, and I love reading about cats and the people they help. Granted, I just love cats in general, and I’m really hoping to be able to adopt a cat or two in the near future. So, reading about a cat that basically adopted this man who needed someone else to look after, it made me smile.
I saw this come into my library because of a girl who absolutely LOVES to read manga. Once I read the premise I had to check it out as soon as possible. It sounded absolutely hilarious!
Tiny Navajo Reads 