There were parts of this book I genuinely struggled to get through or felt like it was so difficult to read. She did such a good job discussing such a difficult topic
I just finished reading this book and I knew I had to come to your channel. Heaven was my first Kawakami and I'm still processing all my thoughts around it. It's so raw, it reads so real, and as you said characters are not meant to be liked and that makes them even more real, and I'm like, this is unlike anything I've read before. It felt so honest, so original in the way it was narrated challenging the typical ways stories develop in fiction. Also, I found it extremely harsh, the bullying scenes were heart-breaking and super hard to read. This author has been a discovery for me and I absolutely want to keep reading her. Also, thank you for your videos, they are great.
I finished this book the day it came out and I was happy with it but I’m still shocked about how much I have been thinking about it even after a few days. Especially that explanation of the bullies perspective has still stuck with me and that’s what a great novel does, it teaches you about just being a human being. (Even though the bullying was shocking) Great review as always! Love hearing your in-depth analysis
I remember when I was bullied by people who I thought were supposed to be my ‘ friends ’. I didn’t realise that it was bullying at first to be honest, no one other than me did, but it’s not like that mattered since they never bothered to do a thing about it anyways. It was still offensive in the beginning and it did upset me but I chose to ignore it since I was often told that I was such a sensitive and over dramatic person. However, over time I started to feel more and more frustrated and upset as the bullying got worse and eventually led to physical violence. So, one day I snapped. The teachers only ‘ dealt ’ with it then, they only started to take action when I FOUGHT BACK! But..them ‘ taking action ‘ only made it much more worse…I thought that they would help me, I thought that it would be okay now since adults knew about it. Adults know what they’re doing, they’re responsible and caring enough to take care of this, right…? No. I was absolutely wrong. They only made it easier for my bullies to harass me. Instead of punishing them, they chose the ‘ forgive and forget ‘ method. They made sure that I was seated next to my bullies and partnered with them whenever we did physical activities, they thought that everything would be so easy, that they would just change just because they asked them too. It did not of course as I mentioned before, they only managed to learn how to bully more discreetly. Thankfully, I eventually moved from the town as a whole…but…my self esteem and inferiority complex is still stuck with me. I’m much more anxious and depressed than I was before those incidents, even though it’s been years I still keep thinking about it time from time. I’m 15 nearing 16 but no matter how hard I try I can’t forget.
After seeing your enthusiastic review, I read Heaven in Japanese! As for bullying, sadly I have to say this kind of bullying Kawakami depicted is not uncommon in Japan and we see some on news, which sometimes causes death of youngsters. So the word “raw” you used is literally the same as I felt. Subscribed your channel.
@@WillowTalksBooks Yes ! I felt the same. I thought it’s just a story in the book 😢 Thank you for telling us that it is really like this there in Japan. Should we think that’s the parents’ responsibility ? ❤
You are so talented as a book reviewer. I have never found a book reviewing video that I could watch the entire video, while paying full attention, on a book I have never read or heard of, and now I am so intrigued.
I just finished the book last night, based on your recommendation. I wanted to drop a note to thank you for making me aware of "Heaven". It was painful and beautiful. I was bullied in school. Sometimes with physical violence, and I confess that the book brought back so much of the feelings at the time. But in its way, it also truly got me thinking about finding closure for myself. So much beauty in the prose, so much care in the characterizations. I also don't use the word genius lightly, but I think you are right. I think Mieko Kawakami is a genius. Again, thanks for making me aware of "Heaven". I appreciate it.
It’s definitely not an easy read but I do agree, there is a sense of closure involved in reading it, at least for us who were bullied. I’d happily call her a genius writer. I’ll have to do a video dedicated to her soon :)
If you want to go deeper into Mieko Kawakami's genius, I suggest you to read Merve Emre's review in The New Yorker, Kawakami studied Nietzsche and created every single character in the book on the contradiction and opinions of the philosopher (she said so herself in various interviews for the Japanese press). Heaven is perhaps the smartest (and my all time fave) book I've ever read in the modern era.
Just read the article. Haven’t read the book yet, but yesterday attended on ZOOM an interview with Kawakami by the reviewer. They talked about Nietzsche and some of the other cultural and philosophical background. Interview was part of the Toronto International Authors’ Festival. It was great seeing and hearing Kawakami in Japanese (and through the interpreter). I’m looking forward to reading it now. Read Breasts and Eggs and now I’m really wondering about Kawakami’s views.
I finished reading this book yesterday and it is one of my favourite books. I would say this is not a book for the faint hearted.... I agree it's frank, honest and impactful (if I can say that). It took me some time to read it especially those parts where bullying "explodes". I saw this book as a book us vs them, being different, acceptance. There is a sense of isolation and loneliness. Desperation in trying to comprehend the reason why those victims of bullying are picked on. The more you read, the more you feel powerless as a reader and it's like you are witnessing bullying first hand and you scream inside as to say: do something, say something! There are the perspectives of the victims and the Bullies...there is no empathy, no real explanation, no reasons...The title is deceiving...this is anything but heaven!
I was surprised at how difficult this book was for me to read. I read very dark non-fiction books to learn about the baser parts of humanity, but this novel really got to me. It took 3wks for me to complete it... There's something special about Mieko Kawakami - her writing is so real & cuts right to the heart of the matter. I don't "enjoy" her books like I would Murakami or Banana Yoshimoto, but this is not a criticism- When I read Kawakami I expect to be churned inside out & I plan on reading every novel she creates for the rest of my life.
God I love and feel that last sentence so much. She really does have a way of churning us inside out. She sees life just like we do, but her way of putting that life on paper is unparalleled.
@@WillowTalksBooks Momose's speech gives incredible insight into how a nihilistic person views the world. It was chilling but incredibly accurate, and should serve as a warning to us all, lest we all let bitterness & rejection send us down the path towards nihilism & destruction....
Just finished reading Heaven, and come straight here to watch your review. You literally said everything I thought about this book. This was my first Mieko Kawakami book, can’t wait to read more from her.
I’m currently reading this book in Japanese. So far I really enjoy it. Fun fact the bullies are actually calling him “Ronpari” which means that one eye looks at London or “Rondon” as the Japanese call it and the other looks at Paris. I really enjoy your reviews. Keep up the good work. ❤
Just finished Heaven. I agree about the philosophy of bullying. It is very cleverly investigated through Momose and Kojima. Seems to me they both come from the angle of having choice. Momose doesn't have to bully. Kojima could spruce up her personal hygiene. But our narrator is stuck with his eyes. He doesn't have a choice about his eyes, until... And the narrative changes. But wow, what a book. The progression of conversations and bullying incidents, with interludes of our narrator's thoughts interspersed, is just stunning and devastating. One of the most subtle tellings of a story I've read for a long time.
Greetings, I justed finished Heaven, I wanted to wait to read it myself before watching this video of yours, and I feel like I have no one to discuss it with because like you said it is not a book for everyone. I tried talking to my partner about it and he said, why do you keep reading books like this? Anyway, the parts of this book that I keep thinking about is 1) the fierceness of Kojima that lent itself to the toxicity of their friendship.. her idea of becoming a thing like a piece of furniture for some reason reminded me of the protagonist from the Vegetarian and the idea of becoming a tree. I'm not sure it's the same or okay to try and relate the two, but it feels the same, a desperation to be rid of one's existence as a human. Then, 2) that the reader was never taken back to the artist museum to see the painting renamed Heaven. It makes sense why we as readers don't get to see it, but it still left me annoyingly disappointed. I keep imagining what a painting would like for Kojima to call it Heaven. I only know it wouldn't be what anyone else would see as or think to be Heaven. Phew, if you read through all this, thanks.
With regards to your second point, I feel like you answered your own question. We're left to wonder what Kojima's idea of Heaven is. Giving the book that same title really hammers home the message of Heaven being a) different for everyone and b) impossible to reach. There's actually a big sense of "impossibility" in this book. The relationship between Kojima and our protagonist seems impossible because it hinges on negative things. It's impossible for those who are bullied to rationalize their own situation. And heaven is also an impossible thing. idk this is just me throwing ideas at the wall but you got me thinking so thank you!
I was thinking the same thing! I was looking for someone in the comments to say this! Also what I was really confused was about the last part, which seemed very much like a dream, but it wasn't.
As I've commented on your previous videos, I love this book. It made me want to curl up in a ball at times, but that's what makes it great. Also, I relate to not getting carried away by one's own hype. If anything, I feel like I'm usually harsher on my favorite artists in whatever field.
I'm poorly educated. Well to-do - our family was/is not. Money was always scarce. Books wether for study or for leisure are very expensive for me. I am practically unlettered ... But why am I hooked (in a very good way) to this channel?. Books and Bao has truly become truly my favorite TH-cam channel.
Thanks for your amazing review. I found out your your chanel a while ago because of some videos where you focus on Asian literature. I am from Brazil and very interested in Japanese literature, but the number of japanese novelists translated into Brazilian Portuguese is small in comparison to that of the American/English market. Mieko, for example, is still unpublished here. And this is something that I cannot understand, as we have access to some very important contemporary authors like Banana Yoshimoto, Yoko Ogawa, and Sayaka Murata. When I finished this reading, I had almost the same thoughts as you. Unfortunatelly bullying is a phenomenon that knows no boundaries and any reader can feel some connection to this topic wherever they are. Keep up the good work and greetings from São Paulo.
finished this book today and, after recovering, was desperate to see if you did a review on it and i’m so glad you did! you’ve recommended some of my absolute favorite reads of the past few months, and this book was a recommendation from you and it absolutely did not disappoint. it has gone onto my favorites list, which is difficult for a book to do, and it also made me cry, just like it did too. i was reading it at school when i got to the scene where the bullies turn his head into a football and i physically seized up so much that my teacher asked if i was okay. long story short my teacher is going to read this soon, i’m excited to know what she thinks. thanks for a great review, i think you do a great job of exploring the nuances of books with depth and a more mature understanding, which is refreshing 😊
I’m not sure if this is of any relevance to people who don’t or can’t read in Japanese, but I honestly don’t think the translation is very good. I read both the original Japanese and the English translation until some point and got very frustrated at how some very important phrases have very different meanings. Just as an example, “we should be friends” is originally “私たちは仲間です” which implies an already existing relationships between the characters, as “nakama” means something along the lines of “comrade” or “colleague”, really meaning that they are in the same situation sharing the same hardships. I myself am not a translator neither a native English speaker, but I feel like while one sentence is an invitation, the other already establishes a connection between the two characters. Anyway, just sharing.
I saw this japanese drama once "Life" which was about bullying, I am not sure if this book has any similarity to it but that drama left a huge impact. I will definitely look for this translation
Thanks for this, I read it off of your recommendation! While I was reading it, it wasn't my favorite ... there were some powerful scenes, but my mind just hadn't quite caught up with everything that was taking place especially between the two main characters. (It was all still emotionally captivating, though in a challenging, dark and sometimes even detached or dissociated way). By the time I was finishing it up though, it finally all started to sink in just how much this book is not only about bullying, but about humans' struggle to process ... our own struggles, I guess. It's leaving a lasting impression and now I'm really excited to pick up "Breasts and Eggs"!
Hi willow! Love your channel! I'm a new subscriber and I've just recently started reading fiction after 20 years and my introduction to japanese authors was haruki murakami. I'm currently reading The cat who saved books.
I’m halfway through and have to put it down for a while. Extremely disturbing. What’s going on is way beyond bullying; it’s torture. And the environment (parents, teachers) is silent, invisible. Truly upsetting. One of the stylistic things I found fascinating is that when I began reading it, I thought of the narrator as a small child, later as the 14 year old he is, and more and more as an adult, a young man. Looking forward (well, sort of) to the second half, to the philosophical bits.
Was darn painful book to read...morbid and a mental torture for sure. Really hate reading books about bullying and this was bullying at a whole new level.
Love your review on the book and agree with what you said. I didn't know what to expect going in but it certainly wasn't what unfolded in the book. It's different and challenging but such an amazing read. So glad that I picked it up
Watching your review moments after finishing the book and I would agree with you on most points! I was shocked to realize that until your review, I hadn’t even noticed that our protagonist remains nameless throughout. This choice, coupled with his insistence on calling Kojima’s name repeatedly, almost like a mantra, is very interesting to me. On the point of translation-I am sure Messrs. Bett and Boyd are exemplary artists of their craft, but as an occasional translator myself, I was disappointed to find multiple typos throughout the book. Could easily be a publishing error rather than the manuscript, but it definitely distracted me.
after seeing this video i downloaded the epub of the book online and read it in two days in my phone, something i hate to do because my eyes get tired and so do my arms from holding the phone but i just couldnt stop, this book was surprinsingly very good, idk if u watch kdramas but it reminded me of two characters in "all of us are dead" (watch it btw its amazing, its on netflix), they both suffer severe bullying and the boys confesses his love for the girl when she was about to kill herself. as i was reading the book i found myself relating the history of the book with them, so many things and reactions that happened were identical to the ones in the book. it was shocking, and i also think thats why i loved it so much. thank you, i needed a book like this, i just finished and i already want to start again, it is truly beautiful and sometimes even funny. 10/10!!
Your videos got me to finally read this so now im back for the review! I thought it was a really interesting book and i really hoped the best for the 2 characters! Ive been thinking about it sense i finished it yesterday. Never been bullied but ive been unattractive, messy, and unfashionable and i c hew things to help feel normal!
Thanks for your review. However, I feel you give the impression that its position as your potential favourite of the year and in making a special group out of those brave enough to understand it, becomes in your review more important than exploring the content / message / implications / langauge of the book. You have obviously an alghorithm to look after but I wonder if a review that was % points less ego and more interested in investigating the ideas might make a more worthwhile thing for everyone (you included).
Thank you for your splendid recommendation like always! Thanks to you, my book watchlist hit 200 already.. I was bullied in school as well around the age of 11 and 12, developing an eating disorder because I rather wanted to be invisible ans disappear. Only after recognizing that I am a replaceable toy for the fun of others I could make myself free from it. So damn, I am excited about what Kawakami says is the reason for all this, happening in every time and place.
I'm sorry to hear that you were bullied, and that it led to something so traumatic. I'm not sure how much solace the book would bring but I certainly appreciated the empathy it offered.
I can't believe you described this book as real and raw, 14 year olds spewing nihilistic philosophy and over the top bullying that is NEVER seen by any grown up in the school, surely there's no way these 14 year old bullies are that well orchestrated. I genuinely don't understand how people enjoyed this book and to even call Mieko a genius is hilarious to me. The reason i picked up this book is because of Mieko fans comparing her writing to Murakamis, BUT with ''better" female characters....LMFAOOOOOO Kojima ended up falling flatter than the protagonist and was written in an underdeveloped manic pixie dream girl type of style (she was just extremely cringe with bare minimum reasoning behind her actions). I'm still baffled how this woman sat down and wrote 100 pages of just cruel bullying and passed it as plot.
I had to read this book for my modern Japanese literature class I'm not usually a big fan of books, but it really was shocking to me, how everything was so detailed. The two are just bullied not because of their differences, but mostly because they were just there, and it happened like that. That is extremely sad. Also, I don't know if this is common in books, but not knowing exactly what the name of the book refers to is pretty frustrating. We know it's a painting, it depicts "heaven" from Kojima's point of view, but what is it really? Momose was a really good character for me, I feel like a lot of people are like him. They don't really have any ill intent, they just go with the flow, they have no conception of good and bad and follow people who have the upper hand. Ninomiya was just the "bad guy", he just bullies to have fun, to pass time, can't say I'm a fan of this character. And finally the MC, who endured all the bullying without retaliating until the very end, who finally decided to do what's better for him. don't know if it was the best decision to end the book, I felt like the relationship with Kojima was a bit lacking, it ended in a flash. Was a great book nonetheless
Powerful review. Now I really want to read Heaven, but I worry about the bullying. If I'm watching a movie or TV program and there's yelling that scares a baby and makes them cry, I can't stand the real emotional trauma the baby is experiencing while the actors are pretending. But I'm anxious to read this woman's novels because you make her sound genius.
Yeah the bullying in here is very impactful, there's no way around that. And it is written with a very descriptive intensity. But it's very much worth the ride!
Hey! Im looking for something a little bit surreal, short and about loneliness. My options are “The Hole” by Hiroko Oyamada, The housekeeper and the profesor, The diving pool, The Lonesome Bodybuilder and this book “Heaven”. Can you help me to decide? And if you have another rec it would help to. Thank you so much for your content and help! ❤️
I have just finished reading this book, and I am still grasping it, and I came across your video about it, is there anyone who could explain chap 8 to me, like was it a dream or real incident?
SAME !!! I literally just finished it and I’m so so confused 😭 plus English isn’t my first language so I get confused sometimes but that scene at the park was like ‼️⁉️‼️🧍🏻♀️ what
@@WillowTalksBooks Totally understandable, I think towards the end it's mentioned one time in passing that it's December 1991 or something. I had just finished the book when I watched this, so it was fresh in my mind. Thanks for the review, I thought it was great!
I preordered this one and my copy has already arrived, but I’m saving it for WIT month, which I can’t wait for!! I really enjoyed Breasts and Eggs and am so looking forward to Heaven.
everytime I watch one of your reviews, I end up buying a book whether to add on my ebook library or on my shelf....! I believe you live in London, do you have any suggestion or list of book clubs to join?
I believe Bookbar in Islington has a book club! They're a bookshop that focuses on the social side of reading so maybe check their website. Apart from that, no, but I'm sure if you check social media or do some googling, you can find some. Wouldn't mind joining one myself!
Hi. I may have to wait until I’m ready for Heaven. Or I may need to consume far more wine than I usually do. Bullying scenes enrage the grandmother in me and all I want is for the culprit to be beaten to a pulp plus I want to hug the victim and protect them forever. I’m very glad it is now being seen for the trauma it has always been. But there’s still so much to do. I visited my library (since Covid) for the first true “browse” today. I’m going to have to keep my book recs in my phone from now on. Had to find your site and look at comments. So. I found one by Fuminori Nakamura today. It’s called The Gun. Any comments?
I agree that bullying seems to be discussed more openly these days, hand-in-hand with things like mental illness and PTSD. It's good progress, if slow. And sorry, I haven't read The Gun but I will look it up!
I've just finished heaven and I am a bit disappointed. Breasts and eggs was better by far. But I would have read any kawakami' s book available anyway because she is a great author. I'm looking forward to a new book of hers!
I don't know how Breasts and Eggs could ever be topped, honestly. As far as I know, Heaven was actually her first novel, just not the first to be translated into English.
I have absolutely no idea. Everyone has their own limits and judgment when it comes to spoilers and I can't satisfy everyone. I don't give away the ending or describe any events in major detail. As someone who doesn't care about spoilers, it's hard to judge other people's sensibilities. Basically, watch it if you want to.
I just finished reading this book and I’m disappointed. The ending felt rushed and was off. I was expecting more character development but that didn’t happen.
This was the worst book i've ever read, like genuinely such a pointless novel. The characters were EXTREMELY flat, i couldn't care less about the dude, the conflict was easily avoidable as seen in the literal ending that his mom would have supported him lmfao. That type of bullying may happen irl but it was overall unrealistic and the violence was unnecessary, every page was just over the top cruelty explained in GREAT detail. And that's all it is, it's just there to shock us, there's not actual insight into the characters mind and emotions it's all so bland and simple. I can see this book only being appealing to like 12-15 year olds.
Dude, im not alone in this world Holy shit, i seriously don't understand it.. the book was.. confusing to read. It was so unrealistic and just trying so hard on being edgy.. i don't get it nor do i understand. The ending really left me on a cliffhanged too. Like okay, Eyes got his lazy eye fixed but what the hell happened to the rest? What the hell is that heaven painting supposed to be? It really Made me ask a Lot of questions lol
@@GreyHairVlare i feel like it’s extremely nihilistic and a poor excuse at that. Like it gave off “everyone is evil and there’s nothing you can do about it lolz”
@@miyuu5313 exactly, like "the world is a dark world and its supposed to be that way". Man, im 15 and i seriously can only laugh at the writing lol. Its such a joke of a book. Like it was created to mock novels or something, its that insulting.
Didn't watch the video, though im sure its an okay review. Probably. Anyway, the book was.. dissapointing. From start to finish, i couldnt stop ranting on how unrealistic it is. Oh my, popular boys with perfect grades bullies the silent kid because its funny. Not mention that he also attracts girls somehow by saying the most normal sentence ever. Motherfucker, that guy could have said "i like eating pancakes" and every girl in 10 mile radius will be wet and be blushing all crazy from just that. Like holy shit, that is the most overused format i have ever seen. Not to mention how unrealistic the writing of that popular kid i forgot the name. Like seriously? His whole character writing is that he is perfect and thats it? He is just another one of those soulless perfect character in anime? I rather if the book is filled with actual human shit. Atleast that still has some uniqueness and some kind of originality to the book. It was just an unrealistic bullying. Yeah maybe that happened to some people, but is that really what "the modern society" fucking looks like? Jackshit, kids these days cares about TikToks and videogames, thats it. It was just so bad at being edgy its laughable. It goes on detail on how painful his life is but it was overdone. Like yeah i understand his pain, don't need to make the book entirely about it. It was a sad attempt at being dark and edgy. And then the whole story just crumbles apart at the end. Kojima suddenly went insane and all of the story progress was all just thrown away in a single chapter. He didn't even have a proper goodbye with her, she just went insane and she are left like that! What about the painting of heaven too? Does that just doesnt matter all of a sudden? Suddenly its about his lazy eyes and thats it? Its just like the writer doesnt really know where to go so she just write whatever. But in my view, the book was special. Not in a good way nor bad way. The book has so many flaws but it felt like it was supposed to be that way. It was written terribly because it has no reason to exist. I seriously cant even classify the genre of the book because of how absurd it is. The book felt like it was meant to be that way, it refuses to tell a coherent story. Like it was alive. A form of mockery to romance novel i guess. Its a bit of a stretch but that was i am getting. I wouldn't say it was worth my money nor may time.. but it was still quite entertaining i guess. So yeah, cool.
“I’m not watching this video that I clicked on, and I have no faith in it being a good review, but anyway here’s MY review.” LMAO go start a blog or something, babe 💜
Well, i don't really care whether you like it or not, if the book makes you happy then good for you my man. Im just saying that the book was bad, and besides, i don't see you mentioning about my rants either. So i assume you really Can't disagree with me either lol. Either that or you didn't read it aswell, i don't care. No need to be passive aggressive towards it, everyone have their opinions and i never said that your opinions were wrong either.
But why did you comment on my video? Why not make a social media post or a blog post about it? Or your own video? This is my channel; you understand that, right? A comments section isn’t a place to just dump your own reviews; it’s a place to leave comments about the video (it’s even in the name). Your choice to ignore my video and just find a space to dump your own opinions is so wild to me! In all my years as a TH-camr, I’ve never seen anything like this. You, my dear friend, are fascinating.
@@WillowTalksBooks to be completely honest, i don't have any platform to dump it on, so i just typed the title of the book, clicked the first video i see and just wrote whatever i need to say. You could say it was necassary for me for to do that and yeah i couldnt argue with that. But i don't know, i don't really care whether its wrong or good, you could just hide my comment and i wouldn't care even slightly, i just needed to let it out and thats it. Feel free to hide it though. There is nothing stopping you from doing such things after all
Okay so this is still completely nuts, but why did you start the original comment with a derogatory and passive-aggressive remark about my skills as a critic?
finished this book today and, after recovering, was desperate to see if you did a review on it and i’m so glad you did! you’ve recommended some of my absolute favorite reads of the past few months, and this book was a recommendation from you and it absolutely did not disappoint. it has gone onto my favorites list, which is difficult for a book to do, and it also made me cry, just like it did too. i was reading it at school when i got to the scene where the bullies turn his head into a football and i physically seized up so much that my teacher asked if i was okay. long story short my teacher is going to read this soon, i’m excited to know what she thinks. thanks for a great review, i think you do a great job of exploring the nuances of books with depth and a more mature understanding, which is refreshing 😊
There were parts of this book I genuinely struggled to get through or felt like it was so difficult to read. She did such a good job discussing such a difficult topic
I just finished reading this book and I knew I had to come to your channel. Heaven was my first Kawakami and I'm still processing all my thoughts around it. It's so raw, it reads so real, and as you said characters are not meant to be liked and that makes them even more real, and I'm like, this is unlike anything I've read before. It felt so honest, so original in the way it was narrated challenging the typical ways stories develop in fiction. Also, I found it extremely harsh, the bullying scenes were heart-breaking and super hard to read. This author has been a discovery for me and I absolutely want to keep reading her. Also, thank you for your videos, they are great.
I finished this book the day it came out and I was happy with it but I’m still shocked about how much I have been thinking about it even after a few days. Especially that explanation of the bullies perspective has still stuck with me and that’s what a great novel does, it teaches you about just being a human being. (Even though the bullying was shocking)
Great review as always! Love hearing your in-depth analysis
Yeah that long chat with the bully was the most impactful moment. I can't stop thinking about it, either.
I remember when I was bullied by people who I thought were supposed to be my ‘ friends ’. I didn’t realise that it was bullying at first to be honest, no one other than me did, but it’s not like that mattered since they never bothered to do a thing about it anyways. It was still offensive in the beginning and it did upset me but I chose to ignore it since I was often told that I was such a sensitive and over dramatic person. However, over time I started to feel more and more frustrated and upset as the bullying got worse and eventually led to physical violence. So, one day I snapped. The teachers only ‘ dealt ’ with it then, they only started to take action when I FOUGHT BACK! But..them ‘ taking action ‘ only made it much more worse…I thought that they would help me, I thought that it would be okay now since adults knew about it. Adults know what they’re doing, they’re responsible and caring enough to take care of this, right…? No. I was absolutely wrong. They only made it easier for my bullies to harass me. Instead of punishing them, they chose the ‘ forgive and forget ‘ method. They made sure that I was seated next to my bullies and partnered with them whenever we did physical activities, they thought that everything would be so easy, that they would just change just because they asked them too. It did not of course as I mentioned before, they only managed to learn how to bully more discreetly. Thankfully, I eventually moved from the town as a whole…but…my self esteem and inferiority complex is still stuck with me. I’m much more anxious and depressed than I was before those incidents, even though it’s been years I still keep thinking about it time from time. I’m 15 nearing 16 but no matter how hard I try I can’t forget.
After seeing your enthusiastic review, I read Heaven in Japanese! As for bullying, sadly I have to say this kind of bullying Kawakami depicted is not uncommon in Japan and we see some on news, which sometimes causes death of youngsters. So the word “raw” you used is literally the same as I felt. Subscribed your channel.
It tears my heart up knowing that this kind of bullying really goes on, and that it leads to death. Such needless cruelty.
@@WillowTalksBooks
Yes ! I felt the same.
I thought it’s just a story in the book 😢
Thank you for telling us that it is really like this there in Japan.
Should we think that’s the parents’ responsibility ?
❤
You are so talented as a book reviewer. I have never found a book reviewing video that I could watch the entire video, while paying full attention, on a book I have never read or heard of, and now I am so intrigued.
Thank you so much!
I just finished the book last night, based on your recommendation. I wanted to drop a note to thank you for making me aware of "Heaven". It was painful and beautiful. I was bullied in school. Sometimes with physical violence, and I confess that the book brought back so much of the feelings at the time. But in its way, it also truly got me thinking about finding closure for myself. So much beauty in the prose, so much care in the characterizations. I also don't use the word genius lightly, but I think you are right. I think Mieko Kawakami is a genius.
Again, thanks for making me aware of "Heaven". I appreciate it.
It’s definitely not an easy read but I do agree, there is a sense of closure involved in reading it, at least for us who were bullied. I’d happily call her a genius writer. I’ll have to do a video dedicated to her soon :)
If you want to go deeper into Mieko Kawakami's genius, I suggest you to read Merve Emre's review in The New Yorker, Kawakami studied Nietzsche and created every single character in the book on the contradiction and opinions of the philosopher (she said so herself in various interviews for the Japanese press). Heaven is perhaps the smartest (and my all time fave) book I've ever read in the modern era.
Wow, thanks, that's a lot to dig into!
Just read the article. Haven’t read the book yet, but yesterday attended on ZOOM an interview with Kawakami by the reviewer. They talked about Nietzsche and some of the other cultural and philosophical background. Interview was part of the Toronto International Authors’ Festival. It was great seeing and hearing Kawakami in Japanese (and through the interpreter). I’m looking forward to reading it now. Read Breasts and Eggs and now I’m really wondering about Kawakami’s views.
i love listening to you talk. really makes me wanna start reading straight away
I finished reading this book yesterday and it is one of my favourite books. I would say this is not a book for the faint hearted.... I agree it's frank, honest and impactful (if I can say that). It took me some time to read it especially those parts where bullying "explodes". I saw this book as a book us vs them, being different, acceptance. There is a sense of isolation and loneliness. Desperation in trying to comprehend the reason why those victims of bullying are picked on. The more you read, the more you feel powerless as a reader and it's like you are witnessing bullying first hand and you scream inside as to say: do something, say something! There are the perspectives of the victims and the Bullies...there is no empathy, no real explanation, no reasons...The title is deceiving...this is anything but heaven!
I was surprised at how difficult this book was for me to read. I read very dark non-fiction books to learn about the baser parts of humanity, but this novel really got to me. It took 3wks for me to complete it... There's something special about Mieko Kawakami - her writing is so real & cuts right to the heart of the matter. I don't "enjoy" her books like I would Murakami or Banana Yoshimoto, but this is not a criticism- When I read Kawakami I expect to be churned inside out & I plan on reading every novel she creates for the rest of my life.
God I love and feel that last sentence so much. She really does have a way of churning us inside out. She sees life just like we do, but her way of putting that life on paper is unparalleled.
@@WillowTalksBooks Momose's speech gives incredible insight into how a nihilistic person views the world. It was chilling but incredibly accurate, and should serve as a warning to us all, lest we all let bitterness & rejection send us down the path towards nihilism & destruction....
Just finished reading Heaven, and come straight here to watch your review. You literally said everything I thought about this book. This was my first Mieko Kawakami book, can’t wait to read more from her.
I’m glad you liked it as well. Her newest novel has just come out and I’ve also just reviewed it :)
I'm about to start it and boy am I so not ready after watching the review. Great review as always ♥️
It's gonna hit you hard, fair warning!
I’m currently reading this book in Japanese. So far I really enjoy it. Fun fact the bullies are actually calling him “Ronpari” which means that one eye looks at London or “Rondon” as the Japanese call it and the other looks at Paris. I really enjoy your reviews. Keep up the good work. ❤
Very interesting, thanks!
Just finished Heaven. I agree about the philosophy of bullying. It is very cleverly investigated through Momose and Kojima. Seems to me they both come from the angle of having choice. Momose doesn't have to bully. Kojima could spruce up her personal hygiene. But our narrator is stuck with his eyes. He doesn't have a choice about his eyes, until... And the narrative changes. But wow, what a book. The progression of conversations and bullying incidents, with interludes of our narrator's thoughts interspersed, is just stunning and devastating. One of the most subtle tellings of a story I've read for a long time.
Greetings, I justed finished Heaven, I wanted to wait to read it myself before watching this video of yours, and I feel like I have no one to discuss it with because like you said it is not a book for everyone. I tried talking to my partner about it and he said, why do you keep reading books like this? Anyway, the parts of this book that I keep thinking about is 1) the fierceness of Kojima that lent itself to the toxicity of their friendship.. her idea of becoming a thing like a piece of furniture for some reason reminded me of the protagonist from the Vegetarian and the idea of becoming a tree. I'm not sure it's the same or okay to try and relate the two, but it feels the same, a desperation to be rid of one's existence as a human. Then, 2) that the reader was never taken back to the artist museum to see the painting renamed Heaven. It makes sense why we as readers don't get to see it, but it still left me annoyingly disappointed. I keep imagining what a painting would like for Kojima to call it Heaven. I only know it wouldn't be what anyone else would see as or think to be Heaven. Phew, if you read through all this, thanks.
With regards to your second point, I feel like you answered your own question. We're left to wonder what Kojima's idea of Heaven is. Giving the book that same title really hammers home the message of Heaven being a) different for everyone and b) impossible to reach. There's actually a big sense of "impossibility" in this book. The relationship between Kojima and our protagonist seems impossible because it hinges on negative things. It's impossible for those who are bullied to rationalize their own situation. And heaven is also an impossible thing. idk this is just me throwing ideas at the wall but you got me thinking so thank you!
I was thinking the same thing! I was looking for someone in the comments to say this! Also what I was really confused was about the last part, which seemed very much like a dream, but it wasn't.
As I've commented on your previous videos, I love this book. It made me want to curl up in a ball at times, but that's what makes it great. Also, I relate to not getting carried away by one's own hype. If anything, I feel like I'm usually harsher on my favorite artists in whatever field.
I can relate to that. We hold our favourites to a higher standard sometimes.
I'm poorly educated. Well to-do - our family was/is not. Money was always scarce. Books wether for study or for leisure are very expensive for me. I am practically unlettered ... But why am I hooked (in a very good way) to this channel?. Books and Bao has truly become truly my favorite TH-cam channel.
Thanks for your amazing review. I found out your your chanel a while ago because of some videos where you focus on Asian literature. I am from Brazil and very interested in Japanese literature, but the number of japanese novelists translated into Brazilian Portuguese is small in comparison to that of the American/English market. Mieko, for example, is still unpublished here. And this is something that I cannot understand, as we have access to some very important contemporary authors like Banana Yoshimoto, Yoko Ogawa, and Sayaka Murata. When I finished this reading, I had almost the same thoughts as you. Unfortunatelly bullying is a phenomenon that knows no boundaries and any reader can feel some connection to this topic wherever they are. Keep up the good work and greetings from São Paulo.
finished this book today and, after recovering, was desperate to see if you did a review on it and i’m so glad you did! you’ve recommended some of my absolute favorite reads of the past few months, and this book was a recommendation from you and it absolutely did not disappoint. it has gone onto my favorites list, which is difficult for a book to do, and it also made me cry, just like it did too. i was reading it at school when i got to the scene where the bullies turn his head into a football and i physically seized up so much that my teacher asked if i was okay. long story short my teacher is going to read this soon, i’m excited to know what she thinks. thanks for a great review, i think you do a great job of exploring the nuances of books with depth and a more mature understanding, which is refreshing 😊
I’m not sure if this is of any relevance to people who don’t or can’t read in Japanese, but I honestly don’t think the translation is very good. I read both the original Japanese and the English translation until some point and got very frustrated at how some very important phrases have very different meanings. Just as an example, “we should be friends” is originally “私たちは仲間です” which implies an already existing relationships between the characters, as “nakama” means something along the lines of “comrade” or “colleague”, really meaning that they are in the same situation sharing the same hardships. I myself am not a translator neither a native English speaker, but I feel like while one sentence is an invitation, the other already establishes a connection between the two characters. Anyway, just sharing.
good to know
I saw this japanese drama once "Life" which was about bullying, I am not sure if this book has any similarity to it but that drama left a huge impact. I will definitely look for this translation
I'll check Life out!
I’ve watched it too! That drama was intense.
Life had me stressed out omg.
i'll forever love your channel - thank you for this review! i'm going to pick this up soon!
Thanks for this, I read it off of your recommendation! While I was reading it, it wasn't my favorite ... there were some powerful scenes, but my mind just hadn't quite caught up with everything that was taking place especially between the two main characters. (It was all still emotionally captivating, though in a challenging, dark and sometimes even detached or dissociated way). By the time I was finishing it up though, it finally all started to sink in just how much this book is not only about bullying, but about humans' struggle to process ... our own struggles, I guess. It's leaving a lasting impression and now I'm really excited to pick up "Breasts and Eggs"!
pretty sure the books mentions a year 1991 or 1992 which is the year it was set it, but i may be wrong
Near the end it mentions 1991
I'll definitely be picking this up; it does sound as though I'll need to time reading it for when I'm feeling resilient
That is a very smart move!
Hi willow! Love your channel! I'm a new subscriber and I've just recently started reading fiction after 20 years and my introduction to japanese authors was haruki murakami. I'm currently reading The cat who saved books.
Thank you so much for watching! I'm so happy you're rediscovering a love of reading through Japanese lit 💜
@@WillowTalksBooks oh I am ! You have seriously awesome recommendations !
Great video! Just finished this yesterday. Still not quite sure what I think of it, but many of the points you made here made me appreciate it more!
Thanks so much!
I just have finished the book but I'm wondering what has happened to Kojima...
The ending of this book. Just wow.
What’s the ending? And why is it a wow? I appreciate your answer in advance
I’m halfway through and have to put it down for a while. Extremely disturbing. What’s going on is way beyond bullying; it’s torture. And the environment (parents, teachers) is silent, invisible. Truly upsetting. One of the stylistic things I found fascinating is that when I began reading it, I thought of the narrator as a small child, later as the 14 year old he is, and more and more as an adult, a young man. Looking forward (well, sort of) to the second half, to the philosophical bits.
Was darn painful book to read...morbid and a mental torture for sure. Really hate reading books about bullying and this was bullying at a whole new level.
Love your review on the book and agree with what you said. I didn't know what to expect going in but it certainly wasn't what unfolded in the book. It's different and challenging but such an amazing read. So glad that I picked it up
Different and challenging and amazing are definitely some of the best words to describe this book 🙂
Watching your review moments after finishing the book and I would agree with you on most points! I was shocked to realize that until your review, I hadn’t even noticed that our protagonist remains nameless throughout. This choice, coupled with his insistence on calling Kojima’s name repeatedly, almost like a mantra, is very interesting to me. On the point of translation-I am sure Messrs. Bett and Boyd are exemplary artists of their craft, but as an occasional translator myself, I was disappointed to find multiple typos throughout the book. Could easily be a publishing error rather than the manuscript, but it definitely distracted me.
Thank you for a great review! Looking forward to reading it 😊
after seeing this video i downloaded the epub of the book online and read it in two days in my phone, something i hate to do because my eyes get tired and so do my arms from holding the phone but i just couldnt stop, this book was surprinsingly very good, idk if u watch kdramas but it reminded me of two characters in "all of us are dead" (watch it btw its amazing, its on netflix), they both suffer severe bullying and the boys confesses his love for the girl when she was about to kill herself. as i was reading the book i found myself relating the history of the book with them, so many things and reactions that happened were identical to the ones in the book. it was shocking, and i also think thats why i loved it so much. thank you, i needed a book like this, i just finished and i already want to start again, it is truly beautiful and sometimes even funny. 10/10!!
I cried often while reading this book
But it‘s my favorite book now
It broke my heart
The autor wrote a masterpiece
Your videos got me to finally read this so now im back for the review! I thought it was a really interesting book and i really hoped the best for the 2 characters! Ive been thinking about it sense i finished it yesterday. Never been bullied but ive been unattractive, messy, and unfashionable and i c hew things to help feel normal!
Thanks for your review. However, I feel you give the impression that its position as your potential favourite of the year and in making a special group out of those brave enough to understand it, becomes in your review more important than exploring the content / message / implications / langauge of the book. You have obviously an alghorithm to look after but I wonder if a review that was % points less ego and more interested in investigating the ideas might make a more worthwhile thing for everyone (you included).
Thank you for your splendid recommendation like always! Thanks to you, my book watchlist hit 200 already.. I was bullied in school as well around the age of 11 and 12, developing an eating disorder because I rather wanted to be invisible ans disappear. Only after recognizing that I am a replaceable toy for the fun of others I could make myself free from it. So damn, I am excited about what Kawakami says is the reason for all this, happening in every time and place.
I'm sorry to hear that you were bullied, and that it led to something so traumatic. I'm not sure how much solace the book would bring but I certainly appreciated the empathy it offered.
I can't believe you described this book as real and raw, 14 year olds spewing nihilistic philosophy and over the top bullying that is NEVER seen by any grown up in the school, surely there's no way these 14 year old bullies are that well orchestrated. I genuinely don't understand how people enjoyed this book and to even call Mieko a genius is hilarious to me. The reason i picked up this book is because of Mieko fans comparing her writing to Murakamis, BUT with ''better" female characters....LMFAOOOOOO Kojima ended up falling flatter than the protagonist and was written in an underdeveloped manic pixie dream girl type of style (she was just extremely cringe with bare minimum reasoning behind her actions). I'm still baffled how this woman sat down and wrote 100 pages of just cruel bullying and passed it as plot.
I think that you did a wonderful job with this book.
I had to read this book for my modern Japanese literature class
I'm not usually a big fan of books, but it really was shocking to me, how everything was so detailed.
The two are just bullied not because of their differences, but mostly because they were just there, and it happened like that. That is extremely sad.
Also, I don't know if this is common in books, but not knowing exactly what the name of the book refers to is pretty frustrating. We know it's a painting, it depicts "heaven" from Kojima's point of view, but what is it really?
Momose was a really good character for me, I feel like a lot of people are like him. They don't really have any ill intent, they just go with the flow, they have no conception of good and bad and follow people who have the upper hand.
Ninomiya was just the "bad guy", he just bullies to have fun, to pass time, can't say I'm a fan of this character.
And finally the MC, who endured all the bullying without retaliating until the very end, who finally decided to do what's better for him. don't know if it was the best decision to end the book, I felt like the relationship with Kojima was a bit lacking, it ended in a flash.
Was a great book nonetheless
Powerful review. Now I really want to read Heaven, but I worry about the bullying. If I'm watching a movie or TV program and there's yelling that scares a baby and makes them cry, I can't stand the real emotional trauma the baby is experiencing while the actors are pretending.
But I'm anxious to read this woman's novels because you make her sound genius.
Yeah the bullying in here is very impactful, there's no way around that. And it is written with a very descriptive intensity. But it's very much worth the ride!
Hey! Im looking for something a little bit surreal, short and about loneliness. My options are “The Hole” by Hiroko Oyamada, The housekeeper and the profesor, The diving pool, The Lonesome Bodybuilder and this book “Heaven”. Can you help me to decide? And if you have another rec it would help to. Thank you so much for your content and help! ❤️
Best book reviewer online and this is a good one. He makes me want to learn about Japanese culture.
My god, thank you very much!
Will pick up this novel soon :D
Huzzah!
It was set in 1991. It said in the book.
ok
i don't understand the ending. the boy and kojima never talked again?
I have just finished reading this book, and I am still grasping it, and I came across your video about it, is there anyone who could explain chap 8 to me, like was it a dream or real incident?
SAME !!! I literally just finished it and I’m so so confused 😭 plus English isn’t my first language so I get confused sometimes but that scene at the park was like ‼️⁉️‼️🧍🏻♀️ what
Yes, you must read her works over- so terribly amazing.
Just finished, loved it. One point: they say in the book that it's 1991, right?
You're probably right, I couldn't remember.
@@WillowTalksBooks Totally understandable, I think towards the end it's mentioned one time in passing that it's December 1991 or something. I had just finished the book when I watched this, so it was fresh in my mind. Thanks for the review, I thought it was great!
@@chrismeiklejohn I finished this book today, December 1991 is indeed mentioned! It's in refence to the date of his calander
I preordered this one and my copy has already arrived, but I’m saving it for WIT month, which I can’t wait for!! I really enjoyed Breasts and Eggs and am so looking forward to Heaven.
I think i should get this for my next fiction read. Heading to my Kino store tmr. Thx for the review!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
en donde puedo descargar ese libro pdf? :c
What a great review!!!
Thank you so much!
I've emailed you guys regarding an article, but I haven't heard back from you guys for a month.
everytime I watch one of your reviews, I end up buying a book whether to add on my ebook library or on my shelf....! I believe you live in London, do you have any suggestion or list of book clubs to join?
I believe Bookbar in Islington has a book club! They're a bookshop that focuses on the social side of reading so maybe check their website. Apart from that, no, but I'm sure if you check social media or do some googling, you can find some. Wouldn't mind joining one myself!
Hi. I may have to wait until I’m ready for Heaven. Or I may need to consume far more wine than I usually do. Bullying scenes enrage the grandmother in me and all I want is for the culprit to be beaten to a pulp plus I want to hug the victim and protect them forever. I’m very glad it is now being seen for the trauma it has always been. But there’s still so much to do.
I visited my library (since Covid) for the first true “browse” today. I’m going to have to keep my book recs in my phone from now on. Had to find your site and look at comments. So. I found one by Fuminori Nakamura today. It’s called The Gun. Any comments?
I agree that bullying seems to be discussed more openly these days, hand-in-hand with things like mental illness and PTSD. It's good progress, if slow. And sorry, I haven't read The Gun but I will look it up!
Thanks for making this. Just curious, have you read A Tale for The Time Being by Ruth Ozeki?
I haven't but I saw it advertised everywhere for a while and was very tempted by it!
I've just finished heaven and I am a bit disappointed. Breasts and eggs was better by far. But I would have read any kawakami' s book available anyway because she is a great author. I'm looking forward to a new book of hers!
I don't know how Breasts and Eggs could ever be topped, honestly. As far as I know, Heaven was actually her first novel, just not the first to be translated into English.
before i watch the video: are your reviews usually spoiler free?
I have absolutely no idea. Everyone has their own limits and judgment when it comes to spoilers and I can't satisfy everyone. I don't give away the ending or describe any events in major detail. As someone who doesn't care about spoilers, it's hard to judge other people's sensibilities. Basically, watch it if you want to.
I am going to start from Breasts and eggs and then read Heaven. I don't know if I am ready though! haha
It's a tough ride but worth the pay-off, I promise!
I just finished reading this book and I’m disappointed. The ending felt rushed and was off. I was expecting more character development but that didn’t happen.
:(
I mean it’s supposed to be realistic. Character development doesn’t come easy and nothing ever stays forever, I liked the ending tbh.
This was painful to read
This was the worst book i've ever read, like genuinely such a pointless novel. The characters were EXTREMELY flat, i couldn't care less about the dude, the conflict was easily avoidable as seen in the literal ending that his mom would have supported him lmfao. That type of bullying may happen irl but it was overall unrealistic and the violence was unnecessary, every page was just over the top cruelty explained in GREAT detail. And that's all it is, it's just there to shock us, there's not actual insight into the characters mind and emotions it's all so bland and simple. I can see this book only being appealing to like 12-15 year olds.
Dude, im not alone in this world
Holy shit, i seriously don't understand it.. the book was.. confusing to read. It was so unrealistic and just trying so hard on being edgy.. i don't get it nor do i understand.
The ending really left me on a cliffhanged too. Like okay, Eyes got his lazy eye fixed but what the hell happened to the rest? What the hell is that heaven painting supposed to be? It really Made me ask a Lot of questions lol
@@GreyHairVlare i feel like it’s extremely nihilistic and a poor excuse at that. Like it gave off “everyone is evil and there’s nothing you can do about it lolz”
@@miyuu5313 exactly, like "the world is a dark world and its supposed to be that way". Man, im 15 and i seriously can only laugh at the writing lol. Its such a joke of a book. Like it was created to mock novels or something, its that insulting.
Didn't watch the video, though im sure its an okay review. Probably.
Anyway, the book was.. dissapointing. From start to finish, i couldnt stop ranting on how unrealistic it is.
Oh my, popular boys with perfect grades bullies the silent kid because its funny. Not mention that he also attracts girls somehow by saying the most normal sentence ever. Motherfucker, that guy could have said "i like eating pancakes" and every girl in 10 mile radius will be wet and be blushing all crazy from just that. Like holy shit, that is the most overused format i have ever seen. Not to mention how unrealistic the writing of that popular kid i forgot the name. Like seriously? His whole character writing is that he is perfect and thats it? He is just another one of those soulless perfect character in anime? I rather if the book is filled with actual human shit. Atleast that still has some uniqueness and some kind of originality to the book.
It was just an unrealistic bullying. Yeah maybe that happened to some people, but is that really what "the modern society" fucking looks like? Jackshit, kids these days cares about TikToks and videogames, thats it.
It was just so bad at being edgy its laughable. It goes on detail on how painful his life is but it was overdone. Like yeah i understand his pain, don't need to make the book entirely about it. It was a sad attempt at being dark and edgy.
And then the whole story just crumbles apart at the end. Kojima suddenly went insane and all of the story progress was all just thrown away in a single chapter. He didn't even have a proper goodbye with her, she just went insane and she are left like that! What about the painting of heaven too? Does that just doesnt matter all of a sudden? Suddenly its about his lazy eyes and thats it? Its just like the writer doesnt really know where to go so she just write whatever.
But in my view, the book was special. Not in a good way nor bad way. The book has so many flaws but it felt like it was supposed to be that way. It was written terribly because it has no reason to exist. I seriously cant even classify the genre of the book because of how absurd it is. The book felt like it was meant to be that way, it refuses to tell a coherent story. Like it was alive. A form of mockery to romance novel i guess. Its a bit of a stretch but that was i am getting.
I wouldn't say it was worth my money nor may time.. but it was still quite entertaining i guess. So yeah, cool.
“I’m not watching this video that I clicked on, and I have no faith in it being a good review, but anyway here’s MY review.” LMAO go start a blog or something, babe 💜
Well, i don't really care whether you like it or not, if the book makes you happy then good for you my man. Im just saying that the book was bad, and besides, i don't see you mentioning about my rants either. So i assume you really Can't disagree with me either lol. Either that or you didn't read it aswell, i don't care. No need to be passive aggressive towards it, everyone have their opinions and i never said that your opinions were wrong either.
But why did you comment on my video? Why not make a social media post or a blog post about it? Or your own video? This is my channel; you understand that, right? A comments section isn’t a place to just dump your own reviews; it’s a place to leave comments about the video (it’s even in the name). Your choice to ignore my video and just find a space to dump your own opinions is so wild to me! In all my years as a TH-camr, I’ve never seen anything like this. You, my dear friend, are fascinating.
@@WillowTalksBooks to be completely honest, i don't have any platform to dump it on, so i just typed the title of the book, clicked the first video i see and just wrote whatever i need to say. You could say it was necassary for me for to do that and yeah i couldnt argue with that. But i don't know, i don't really care whether its wrong or good, you could just hide my comment and i wouldn't care even slightly, i just needed to let it out and thats it. Feel free to hide it though. There is nothing stopping you from doing such things after all
Okay so this is still completely nuts, but why did you start the original comment with a derogatory and passive-aggressive remark about my skills as a critic?
finished this book today and, after recovering, was desperate to see if you did a review on it and i’m so glad you did! you’ve recommended some of my absolute favorite reads of the past few months, and this book was a recommendation from you and it absolutely did not disappoint. it has gone onto my favorites list, which is difficult for a book to do, and it also made me cry, just like it did too. i was reading it at school when i got to the scene where the bullies turn his head into a football and i physically seized up so much that my teacher asked if i was okay. long story short my teacher is going to read this soon, i’m excited to know what she thinks. thanks for a great review, i think you do a great job of exploring the nuances of books with depth and a more mature understanding, which is refreshing 😊