Member Reviews

I had high hopes for this book after reading the synopsis and other reviews however I just couldn't get into it. The story just didn't seem to grab me like I thought it would.

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There is a phone box in a garden in Otsuchi, Japan a place devastated by the tsunami of March 11th 2011. Connected to nothing there is a black telephone that carries voices in the wind. People travel from miles away to talk to those they have lost.

We follow Yui's pilgrimage to the phone box and learn of her terrible loss, accompany her on her journey of grief, maybe even silently work through some of our own. I lost my mother last year to dementia so this book was like a balsam, soothing to my soul.

Messina has a crisp, clear way of writing straight to the point but not in your face, more of a caress. Beautiful heart-wrenching stories of different characters, with unexpected details and charismatic figures of speech, all tied together with a melancholic bow.

Love how every other chapter is some sort of interesting tidbit of info like Yui's playlist, phrases said by a character, different lists and so much more.

As I read this book I kept stopping because it would ignite feelings and thoughts which I had to give the proper attention, let my mind wander, then I would continue. There is a loneliness to grief which I did not feel reading this story, I felt understood.

I cannot count the times this book gave me goosebumps or my eyes filled with tears. A testimony to humanity and compassion, a springboard for hope, reading this book was an unforgettable experience.

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Thank you to @netgalley for providing me with this translated copy of @lauraimaimessina ‘s beautiful novel! This story is all about loss and the way that love can transcend through the pain - even through those you have lost! Sometimes in translated versions, the emotions can be lost, but certainly not in this version. It’s a beautiful, heart breaking, tragic, funny and heartwarming tale of a woman trying to find her way back from a tragedy that swept through a nation in 2011. In between each main chapter, there was a mini one with everything from details of songs described in the previous chapter, to recipes for dishes, to jokes told between the characters which really helped to bring a human element to the book. Yui’s development throughout the book is apparent and she certainly gave me a warm fuzzy feeling towards the end

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This is an excellent novel about a community forming around a Japanese garden -and a phone box- that allows the bereaved to talk to those whom they have lost. None of the modern Western cliches: “closure”, “coming to terms”, “moving on” or the new one: “life affirming” really apply. Japanese people do not move on from dead loved ones, nor do they wish to close them off from their present and future lives and, instead of coming to terms with their loss, they communicate with those they have lost and, in this novel, those whom they have gained.

The setting is between a terrible Tsunami and a massive Typhoon, but some of the bereavements are the consequence of individual illness or accident, including a stupid accident. One of them isn’t strictly speaking a bereavement at all. There is an extraordinary amount of kindness and respect in this book and there is no religious exclusivity: the characters are interested in each other’s insights regardless of where they get them from. I commend this book to all readers; atheists may have to work at it to some extent, but the small effort involved will be worth it.

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So sorry but this book wasn't for me. I thought it was a great concept but I didn't enjoy th narrative and gave up half way through so it would be unfair for me to review it. I ahem heard so many great stories about this book, but not my taste.

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A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into crime/thriller books and even psychological thrillers too so I am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

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I really loved this book. I felt after having lost someone fairly recently, that this was incredibly relatable and emotional. It helped shine perspective that everyone's experience of grief is different but also the same. I think that depending on your experiences you'll take something different from this story.

There were so so many poignant quotes that will stay with me and I really enjoyed the mix of chapters to break up the main text. The plot was incredibly subtle and the characters were lightly written, which I think was what it needed. I also really enjoyed all the references and explanations of the Japanese culture.

It isn't my usual read but I really enjoyed it.

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Beautifully tender story of loss, love and hope. I loved the Japanese culture that I learned about in this book, absolutely fascinating. The characters here are so three dimensional and all of their stories are so well written. I also enjoyed the lists as they made the story seem more real.

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Just beautiful. Moving gently, Messina takes us on a journey of understanding and appreciation of grief, and how healing can take different forms. The slow pace of the book allows the reader to sink into the story, developing a deep connection to the characters and their pain. The lifting of this pain and the way in which this happens takes place naturally, following a curve we can both anticipate and enjoy as it happens. Nothing rushed, nothing unlikely or forced, just a smooth, beautiful story arc that doesn't once stretch credibility.
Perfect for slow summer days, long baths and reading deep into the night, this novel will have you desperate to reach the close, but sad when you achieve it..

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A delightful book. A sympathetic, sensitive novel that will make you cry and smile at the same time.
The book is based on a telephone box in the middle of nowhere in Japan. The phone box exists for people to visit and 'talk' to loved ones that have departed through death or are missing. The story centres around two people Yui and Takeshi who have lost loved ones; one to a tsunami & the other through illness. Through their journey, you meet others touched by tragedy.
I want to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Books UK and author Laura Imai Messina for a pre-publication copy to review.

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I loved this book, for it's gentle, thought provoking narrative.

Centred around the wind phone in Japan, where grieving people visit, to speak on the phone to their deceased loved ones. The wind takes their words to their ears.

Yui travels from Tokyo to the site and meets Takeshi on the way - from that first visit they strike up a remarkable friendship.

Yui is grieving for her mother and daughter who died in a tsunami, and Takeshi is grieving for his wife.

A really beautiful book.

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Not my usual genre but I was intrigued by the synopsis.
The story was based on Yui who lost both her daughter and her mother in a tsunami. During a discussion on her radio show she learns of the “phone box are the edge of the world” where the bereaved go to talk to their loved ones who have passed.
The story is of her visits and the people she meets who find comfort in using the phone, and how she is eventually able to overcome her grief and move on.
Lots of small details in between the actual story was slightly off putting but didn’t lessen my enjoyment.
Very different from anything I have read before, but I enjoyed the change.

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Sorry but I couldn't finish this book, just wasn't for me unfortunately but I am sure a lot of readers will enjoy it.

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After losing her daughter and mother in the devastating tsunami of 2011 Yui doesn’t know how she will go on but she knows she must. While working on her radio show one day a listener calls in with a story about a phone box where people go to help them with their grief. A place where you can pick up the handset and say all of the things you need to, to those no longer here, knowing that only you and the wind will know what was said.
Yui decides to travel to Bell Gardia to find this phone box in the hope it will help her with her own grief.
When there she meets Takeshi, a widower whose daughter has stopped talking since his wife died and who is also hoping to find a way to move forward.
They form a friendship and begin to travel to Bell Gardia every month where they meet others like them all dealing with the grief of losing a loved one.
I liked the relationships and connections that grew between strangers, all connected by the grief of losing a loved one.

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This is a precious book, beautifully written and so descriptive.

It’s about love, loss, grief and hope and follows two people who journey to the phone box of the title, where people can speak to their loved ones.

Despite it being a translation, the words flow beautifully and I found it to be an easy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview in exchange for my honest review.

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I could not finish this book, unfortunately.
I tried to carry on many times. But just, could not get into it. .
I kept waiting for the story to come together.
However, the ratings are fab.
So probably just me.

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This book is about a phone box that people can go to to speak to their loved ones that have died. It was a quick read and I am sure many people will love it but it really didn’t hold my attention. It was just far too descriptive for my taste in books.

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What a lovely book! The book is based on a telephone box in the middle of nowhere in Japan. The phone box actually exists and people are welcome to visit and 'talk' to loved ones they have lost. This being through death or are simply missing. At the heart of the story are 2 people who themselves have lost loved ones; one to a tsunami & the other through illness. Their loves & lives become entwined and on the journey you meet others touched by the place. Heart-warming and delightful. I just hope that by the book being released it doesn't make this sacred place a tourist trap.

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This book is beautifully written and reveals the human cost of a natural disaster. The impact not just on those who lost loved ones but on those who survived and witnessed the unspeakable. It is cathartic for any who has lost someone and has progressed along the 'grief path.' But beware, if you have barely begun that journey, it can trigger the journey. But grief is not just about death (as the survivors' stories show) it is about loss: of life (of course; of job; of career; of a relationship; of future; of certainty; of predictability; of life as we know it; and of course... the loss of control.

Read after 9 weeks in lockdown from Covid-19, and the loss of a grandchild in recent years, I am too raw to read beyond 40% at this point. I WILL read on, but slowly - far beyond the time limit. As a former 'counsellor' from a national disaster, this book holds a key for those in such circumstances: write it down and keep adding to it; remember all the things those flashbacks bring from all of your senses (sights and smells are crucial but don't forget sounds and touch and even taste...) and finally, as time allows find a way to absorb the experience and take any learning into the future.

A book that needed writing, a book that needs to be read - but at YOUR OWN pace. Buy it and read when you can... it will help your journey

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This starts off quite slow and is cryptic, which may be down to it being a translation...but stick with it! I loved the fact that this was inspired by real events and could feel the pain and loneliness of the characters as they developed, and yet, there is also hope, redemption and peace in this book. The story is about the idea of phone box which allows you speak to the dead. The idea of speaking to those you have lost, in spite of their lack of response, and the comfort this brings seems nonsensical and yet also reassuring. The Phone Box at the End of the World offers those who are grieving and unable to comprehend their loss an opportunity to 'speak' with their lost ones. In this book, we meet Yui who has lost her mother and young daughter in a tsunami and she is compelled to visit the phone box over and over to try and make sense of her loss. Her visits coincide with Takeshi who has lost his wife and slowly they grow closer through their shared grief - or inability to move on from it. For Yui, the gardens around the phone box offer her peace, but she is unable to even speak to those she has lost. Her relationship with Takeshi develops and the phone box is the instrument which allows them both some reconciliation and the possibility of looking forward. Between each chapter of the story are woven short chapters with facts that relate to their life - exisitence - which allow you to focus on the minutiae of their every day life and, as a reader, give you a brief respite from some of the intense emotions that this book explores.

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