I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book thanks to the publisher. All opinions are my own. Pub Date: June 3
This book is a little bit cutesier than I normally read but, when offered, I requested an ARC because it sounded like a nice palate cleanser and it would count toward my attempts to read more translated work. (This is translated from the original Japanese by Allison Markin Powell.)
Set almost entirely on the Hankyu rail line between the towns of Takarazuka and Nishinomiya, we meet several passengers as they are going about their day. Some in their normal routines, others very much not. We see a young man finally meet the young woman who always takes out the library books he wants. A grandmother and her granddaughter, a girl thinking about leaving her abusive boyfriend, a young woman who just left a wedding that she attended as a guest but dressed as a bride.
The passengers paths cross in varying and satisfying ways. They influence each other, sometimes without even realizing it. In the second half we see them all six months later and see how that day on the train changed their lives. It was, exactly as I expected, a sweet and easy story to read. There were some interesting cultural aspects that stood out to me and reminded me that this was a book set in Japan, written by a Japanese writer, and comprised of Japanese characters. A much stronger emphasis on respect and etiquette, particularly around elders. There was also one relationship between a girl in high school and a man who finished university that left me feeling uncomfortable. I expected that the age difference would be the focus but in the end, this seemed to be upheld as a healthy relationship.
Aside from that, the six month update didn’t offer much in the way of surprise but showed the characters mostly where I expected them to be. I might not sound like I’m praising this book hugely and, likely, I won’t remember it much in a couple more months. But if you’re looking for an easy and not stressful book, this might fit the bill.
Karissa Reads Books 
I would read this for the story of the woman who went to someone else’s wedding dresses as a bride!
The emphasis on respect and etiquette was present in What You Are Looking For is in the Library, too.
That really was the most interesting storyline to me too! I definitely noticed some of those cultural similarities between the two books.
I love simple and beautiful books like these🩷
I’m noticing more Japanese lit coming out lately, so I’m wondering if something shifted in publishing. They all have cute, funny little titles.
Yes! We did a whole display at work of cozy Japanese fiction. Lots of cats on covers!
Cats and coffee for sure.
I have the ARC of this book on my shelf right now, but I haven’t picked it up yet. It was pitched to me directly by a publicist who was like “this sounds right up your alley” and when I read the summary I was like “yup” so I think my love of cozy mysteries is pushing me into a certain category of reader these days hahah
Haha, I love when publicists nail it like that!
[…] the content (Gulag Archipelago), sometimes it just wasn’t a story I was super interested in (The Passengers on the Hankyu Line). I’m glad I read them all but it does make this category hard to choose […]