Review of The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina & Translated by Lucy Rand

 

Read for: Requested Review/Netgalley

Synopsis: "The international bestselling novel sold in 21 countries, about grief, mourning, and the joy of survival, inspired by a real phone booth in Japan with its disconnected “wind” phone, a place of pilgrimage and solace since the 2011 tsunami

When Yui loses both her mother and her daughter in the tsunami, she begins to mark the passage of time from that date onward: Everything is relative to March 11, 2011, the day the tsunami tore Japan apart, and when grief took hold of her life. Yui struggles to continue on, alone with her pain.

Then, one day she hears about a man who has an old disused telephone booth in his garden. There, those who have lost loved ones find the strength to speak to them and begin to come to terms with their grief. As news of the phone booth spreads, people travel to it from miles around.

Soon Yui makes her own pilgrimage to the phone booth, too. But once there she cannot bring herself to speak into the receiver. Instead she finds Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of her mother’s death.

Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World is the signpost pointing to the healing that can come after."

My Review:  I would be lying if I didn't admit that the cover of this book really caught my attention. I have since seen it in person and it is even more stunning. Luckily, that beautiful cover has a great story on the inside as well. I wasn't sure what to expect from it but it ended up being far more than I could have anticipated. The writing is beautiful and poetic, the subject matter the story revolves around is hard hitting but gentled by the stunning imagery and pacing. Messina does a great job of capturing the pain of grief and the way it connects those left behind. I loved following Yui and Takeshi on their personal journey as well as how a place of comfort brought them together. This was such a beautiful book, one I am very happy I read and an happy to have gracing my shelves.

My Rating: I really enjoyed this book, it was beautifully written and so soothing to read. I loved the imagery and could almost picture it in my mind.  I can't help but give this one a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley, the above is my honest review and opinion.

You can find out more about Laura Imai Messina and her book on her Goodreads Page.

The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World was just released in March on the 20th anniversary of the tsunami, look for it at your local bookstore or request it at your library. It is also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.