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This is a lovely leisurely novel based in the town of Kamakura. It’s exactly the kind of genre of Japanese translated fiction I enjoy the most, and I find the narrative voice typical of these translations really comforting.
The main character, Poppo, is grappling with loss, and her direction in life. She slowly grows closer to the people around her, a varied cast of characters that interact with her just once or twice, or regularly in her day-to-day life (I do wish Madame Barbara was my neighbour/bestie). It was lovely watching her integrate back into the community.
A big focus of the novel is Poppo’s relationship with her “predecessor” (grandmother), who owned the stationery shop before her, and her inherited role as a scribe. Some of the jobs turn out to be quite unusual (both in request and Poppo’s execution of them) but the amount of thought that goes into each one is fascinating. It helps that I’m a stationery addict.
I can see that the slow pace, low-stakes plot and narrative style (highly descriptive of everyday activities and locations) might not be for everyone, but I think it’s a fantastic book to relax with.
Thank you very much to Cornerstone for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
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