Mina's Matchbox

A short story, with interesting characters. It is a coming of age story of a young Japanese. Her family is not a traditional Japanese family and we learn about this family through the eyes of the young girl. It is charming, interesting and I found it very interesting to see the world and the advents taken place around the family through this girls eyes.

It's like a never-ending summer vacation. The first 2 hours of kingdom hearts 2. An endless golden hour.

As someone who loves mundane story, coming-of-age, no matter how boring the mid part was, this was definitely one of the best in the genre. Everyone has its own charm. From Pochiko to the old guy in Fressy parking-lot. A wonderful tales by Mina's very own matchboxes were wonderful as it could be, something that could've had its own book. Tears were falling for sure.

One thing that felt a bit off to me was the Israel part. Didn't expect it to be there at all. It won't mess up your reading experience. It's just, it would've been better without it.

Other than that, it was a great read. Definitely something I would coming back to later.

Somewhere between a gothic novel and a coming of age tale, this is a pleasingly offbeat family story. It feels more personal and introspective than Ogawa's other books, without being slighter. The period setting is evoked superbly and the whole thing is profoundly atmospheric.