Heaven
Ratings119
Average rating3.6
I liked All the Lovers in the Night, but this novella was really not for me. It has a ridiculous amount of unnecessary graphic violence and the dialogue is weird and unrealistic.
I skipped the parts I didn't like and then came to the conclusion that there wasn't much left.
I find it hard to find what to say after reading this book, but one thing is for certain. It was great. Each moment of sadness or fear from the main character felt like it was my own, which made some sections feel particularly difficult to read. This feeling completely amplified my love for the book and my immersion in its story. I fully recommend this read to anyone looking for something involving adolescence and the hardships that people may face during it. Also, watch All About Lily Chou-Chou if you liked this book!!
this took me 2 weeks to finish. it was solid but it didn't move me like it did most people. the saddest part was definitely chapter 8, hard one to read but besides that idk it was just fine, bit boring at times but I do love the two main characters
“What happened at school stayed at schoolWherever I went I carried the weight of what my classmate did to meBut strictly speaking it occupied a half of my whole life”
it open the wounds of the bulling you lived, but god it finally put words on those wounds too
Why is bullying in East Asia so extreme, these kids have barely reached puberty
Tortuous. This was a painful read. A little too philosophical for me and I can't imagine how this is considered “realistic bullying”. This was beyond extreme and that NO adult ever saw or intervened ever I think is unbelievable. I am not saying nothing gets missed or horrible acts of violence aren't perpetrated on children by other children, but the example in this book are extreme to the nth degree.
And the ending...it was as if the author was tired of telling the story and just wanted to wrap it up in a nice bow. Disappointing. Especially after the excruciating detail she went into during the instances of violence or the bizarre conversation with Momose.
Okay I don't hate it but I also don't love it.
I think there is a hidden message in here about why people do the things they do; what drives them; what urges do we want to satisfy; do we do what is right and wrong?
All written and hidden in a, kind of, sweet story.
However I think there is way more potential in this specific piece of work from Kawakami. You can tell the idea is there, but it's not explicit or entirely clear. As if Kawakami herself wasn't sure yet how to fully capture it either.
Read this read this read this
The blurb for the book is accurate but it's so much more for such a small book. Three characters and their competing philosophies on life play out over a backdrop of middle school bullying.
It's a real page turner
siempre es el sufrimiento y el sentido de las cosas, siempre es buscar sentido cuando más se necesita cuando más se sufre y aún así la complejidad del libro es la paradoja que se crea cuando el sentido es el propio sufrimiento: a mi no me ha cambiado la vida pero la reflexión que deja es increible (nunca fiarse de las relaciones basadas en el sufrimiento compartido y en definirse con él pq es una espiral mortífera)
This book is not for the faint-hearted ones. It's a book that will rip you apart without telling you how to put yourself back together again. Kawakami's words will haunt you, and linger around for a long time. Kudos to the translators who have done a wonderful job of translating the pain and suffering of the characters.
an exceptionally well-written novel about a bullied kid and his bullied friend that felt like it was scientifically developed to farm sympathy. glad i read it, but in no way looking to revisit this bummer anytime soon.
This is not an easy read. It's actually quite heartbreaking. But it was very good.
The unnamed protagonist has a lazy eye and is bullied horribly. He becomes friends with a girl in his class who is also bullied. The reasons for the bullying are different. His is not a choice, but Kojima, the girl, chooses to present herself in certain ways in order to connect with her father, whom she misses, and whom her mother divorced. There is much discussion of weakness as strength, finding meaning in one's abuses, and how people view abuse. One character, a bully named Momose, is basically a psychopath. He never participates but watches from afar. When the protagonist asks him about it, his response is pretty nihilistic.
The extremes are represented by this Momose and Kojima. She seeks meaning in everything; he sees meaning in nothing. These middle schoolers have massive existential crises and manage to elucidate their thoughts in language that most kids their age wouldn't necessarily have. But that isn't a problem here. Even without the necessary vocabulary, a young teen still might feel these things.
There is a modicum of hope. Just a little, for our little hero. But he'll probably have to wait a bit.