What a beautifully created book, which left me with so much to think about.
The story follows 3 people who have died, who arrive at Mr. Hirasaka's photo studio and are allowed to relive one memory before embarking on their journey into the afterlife. The story shows that no matter how you may view things it may not always be what it seems, and you never realise how big of an impact you can make on someone else (big and small, positive and negative) and that every action has a reaction. I loved how their stories were explained and the realisations afterwards and how they were all interconnected in ways they did not know. Such an eye opening novel that really makes you sit back and appreciate life and the power we have to change our path before it is too late.

A really interesting story that pulls you in and then surprises you with with the direction it takes. I was interested from the start and liked how each of the three chapters focused on a different persons favourite memory. Will definitely read mor by this author as I liked the writing style.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC for this book.

I took my sweet time in finishing this book and first of all, I loved the concept behind these stories.

It would be such a unique thing to experience that once you die, you get to visit a place that allows you to revisit one of the significant moments from your whole life by choosing a picture.

The idea of a lantern that replays your whole life before the final destination is so well-done. It also goes from stories that go from normal to intense in no time. The last story is bound to shatter your soul into a million pieces. But I love how the author wrapped up these stories.

It is one of those books that will stay with you for a long time. Despite having read its ebook, I actually bought the physical copy too because I cannot miss the opportunity of it being a part of my book collection.

It is always a pleasure to start a book and unexpectedly enjoy it while also being able to finish it in one sitting. Given how tight my days are nowadays, that last bit is definitely the icing on the cake.

This is a sweet and short collection of three seemingly separate stories. I kept thinking the end was too close ( based on the kindle’s assessment of my reading speed) for the end to satisfactorily either tie up the stories together or give me a suitable explanation for the ‘mystery’ part of our central protagonist. I was thankfully very wrong.

I will not go into too much detail because the explanation is part of the experience. The simplest explanation is that this is a version of the wait between death and the after. The in-between is a place of retrospection and we get to meet three recently dead people and that man who is to help them move on. All three do not have equal time on paper. We spend longer on the first, and gradually the narration moves faster.

I was a little teary after the ending. The translation works well and it brought the emotion to the surface while not taking away the fact that this is based in a different non-english speaking country. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in translated works or just anyone fond of these kinds of topics.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A beautiful, thought-provoking meditation on life and death. Although it will inevitably invite comparison with Before the Coffee Gets Cold, The Lantern focuses not on those left behind but on those departed. It felt like a privilege to be party to the after-death experiences of the characters, and I feel Hiiragi should be commended for imbuing each character with enough detail to really care about them, despite the relatively short time spent on each one.

It made me cry not only for the characters, but I found myself thinking, inevitably, of my father who passed away a few months before, particularly as I'd put together a sideshow of photos of him throughtout his life for his funeral service. It gave me some comfort to imagine him as a character in the book getting the chance to view a slideshow of his life and wondering what memory he would revisit.

There are a lot of #translatedjapanesefiction with various gimmicks, time travel and cats, cats and more cats 😂😂😂.

#thelanternoflostmemories by #sanakahiiragi translated by #jessekirkwood is original and different in my opinion and has no cats you maybe happy to hear (not sure why there is one on these covers!). There is a clear system or process and it is a privilege to view each person's cherished memories.

Spolier alert********

I love how the memories overlap and I really liked the final memory, how it was different and how it connects to the lead character.

I think with this book, it should be left alone as it is. It's not a concept that can be made into a series lokec#beforethecoffeegetscold but I didn't think that could be multiple books either and I love them.

If you want somerting heart warming, compassionate and with some interesting twists then give this book a go, it's brilliant.

#honnomushi100 #reading #japanesefiction #translatedfiction #translatedjapaneseliterature #booksfromjapan #booklover #bookstagram #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #translatedjapaneseliterature #japaneselit #JAPANESEAUTHORS #newjapanesefiction #newbooks2024

“The more important a memory, the more we find ourselves revisiting it”
The novel is set in a magical photography studio owned by Mr Hirasaka, a collector of antique cameras
The studio exists as a transition point between this world and the next, where people go after they die to view key moments of their life and relive one precious memory before they pass into the afterlife
Loved how each chapter followed a new person entering the studio
It’s heartwarming, life-affirming and such a comforting read
Yes it deals with death and there were emotional moments but on the whole it’s a celebration of life
What would your lantern look like?
Thanks #sanakahiragi @panmacmillan & @netgalley for the magical read

This is a gentle and beautifully written book about the period between life and death, where photos are collated of each person’s life.

It’s perfect for anyone who has read and enjoyed When the coffee gets cold.

Heartwarming, at times bitter sweet and unique. Three people enter a photography studio on their way to the afterlife, but this is no ordinary studio. Each person must select one photo for each year in their life, to watch on the lantern before moving on… Including an 82 year old school teacher, a 47 year old criminal and a young, neglected, abused child.
Before The Coffee Gets Cold meets The Midnight Library. Beautifully written, sweet life lessons and lovable characters.
I really enjoyed it and would love to read a sequel!

Apparently I am having an existential crisis, because the last few translated fiction I’ve read were along the lines of looking back in to your past and reliving moments. This book was no exception.

The Lantern of Lost Memories features a photography studio where people go after they have passed on. Whilst there, they are given the chance to go back and recapture a photograph/memory from their life.

The stories in this are very thought provoking and heart warming.

I would grab a few packs of tissues, because this will bring on some tears.

I love these books and this one was no different

Easy to read
I just sat back, relaxed and read in one go

Loved it

"Photos do have a certain power, don't they?" They do when they're displayed, however briefly, on the lantern of lost memories, which is the actual thing that provides you with the flickering highlight reel of your life you see as you die. And Mister Hirasaka is the man who runs the place where it's put together – you arrive, along with a photo for every day of your life, you pick one supreme highlight per year, and he presents them before you enter the afterlife. If you're, say, Miss Mishima, a charming old lady who used to be a driven and underpaid nursery teacher post-war, you might find an image too damaged – the photo/memory too looked at and used in real life – and so get a chance to go back to when it was taken. You'll have to not worry when that photo gets shown out of sequence, last in the reel, and ignore the fact you're kind of bundled off to have it remade when you haven't looked at the bulk of your life, but at least you get that chance to revisit a life highlight. But there's a but in all this – just who is Hirasaka-san? Why doesn't he go through the process himself and move on? Why is his human, living life now reduced to one nameless, placeless snapshot?

Coming new to this whole genre, of Japanese cosy writing, I think I got very much what I wanted. This felt like a Mitch Albom concept, which is always welcome, I got a nicely brief yet fully-fleshed out novel, and there was, of course, a cat (albeit a brand logo, mentioned for little purpose). Ultimately, however, I think I sought a better enveloping of all the three disparate stories here – a strong attempt is made, just not perhaps as tricksy a one as the author thinks. Something, after all, needed to compensate for the way the three tales were so repetitive and showed the same routine play out. And in the finish, isn't it just a bit too "hey look at what I can do!" to have a cosy book about a yakuza gangster with a kind of robotic assistant, and an abused girl?

A final indicator of its lack of brilliance is the five years it took to translate to British – I know markets are responsible, and not the art of the original, but that is a fair gap of non-urgency. Ultimately it was perfectly OK, although the weird Mouse character just didn't deliver, and it might have done more and had more to say. It certainly is a three and a half stars, and worth checking out, but lacks a little something to earn four stars.

What an incredible book! I was so excited when I got accepted for the ARC of this but life happens and I’ve only just got around to it!

I’ve really gotten into Japanese books for the stories and the writing style recently.

This book was no exception, it was written beautifully. And of course I cried when things started coming together.

It’s made up of 3 short stories that interlink set in limbo the in between of life and death.

It is a beautiful book and i truly think it is a book for anyone

Thank you again to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this opportunity ❤️

The books like this one are heartwarming and cosy but there's also some layers that makes you reflect.
This one is a cosy fantasy that talks about memories, second chances, and what could you if give the possibility of coming back and changing something in your life
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Absolutely loved this book, from the concept all the way to the short stories and characters. I always love when there's an overarching link between short stories - in this case' Mr. Hirasaka's life - and the ending where everything was wrapped up was perfect. The short stories themselves were so heartfelt - I definitely teared up here and there. So excited to read more of this series!

This book is amazing, like a hug in a book! I loved every single part of it and hope that there will be more to come as this would make an excellent series. Such a fantastic concept and executed brilliant - all the heart eyes for this book!

I did enjoy this book, very grateful for the digital ARC I received! I found it fairly reminiscent of Before the coffee gets cold, and am trying to read more Japanese literature. I really enjoyed the first story, and the explanation of how the lantern worked. The only drawback for me is that I found it slightly long winded, I felt it could have been more succinct in places, and some slightly quicker pacing may have led to more of an enjoyable reading experience. Still, a very enjoyable novel, and one I’ll read again!

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

An enchanting story of life and death.

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi places the reader in the in-between of life and death, the staging post where Hirasaka acts as a guide for the newly deceased, welcoming them to his photography studio where they can reflect on their lives.

The story is filled with a touching melancholy as Hirasaka guides three individuals through their memories. In a meandering and calming way, the reader is given an in-depth look at each character's lives, exploring their desires, ambitions, struggles, and doubts. Hiiragi's focus on making his characters feel so human made each moment spent with these characters touching and sometimes heartbreaking.

Beautiful, poignant, and emotional from beginning to end, this fantastical and cozy take on death is a heart-wrenching but hopeful read.

Actual Rating: 4.5⭐

If you’re looking for more stories like 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold' then you'll have to get this one!

This wonderful life-affirming stories centered around what happen after you die like those who experience ‘memories flashing before your eyes’.
Set in a place between life and death, Hiraka’s photo studio will help each person to choose their most fond memories to be placed on a lantern. Once completed, the lantern will be spun to guide them to the afterlife.

I really like getting to know how each character live their lives especially the old woman from the first story.
I absolutely love the way how each story will eventually connect with each other and in just 200 pages this book manage to made me shed a few tears.

Overall, it’s a touching well-written story with meaningful and powerful messages scattered throughout the book.

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Child abuse, physical abuse, bullying, death, violence, child death, brief mention of war, animal death, animal cruelty.

The potential of the book is high.

Starting to read, it is reminiscent of Before the Coffee Gets Cold. The genre of being taken back to the past, the nostalgia, old-timey atmosphere the writing induces.

The criticism I have with the first chapter is that Hatsue's backstory goes on for a very long time. We forget this is a flashback or recounting of her memories/past, and it becomes the majority of the book. It went on for too long, and it made me lose interest. Additionally, the fact we do not know what the viewers are feeling during watching their lantern of memories, was a fault for me.

I did enjoy learning more about Hirasaka, and the fact he does not remember or know who he is, beyond this intermediate sphere of helping the newly dead build their lanterns. We learn he is kind, empathetic, and wants to make the process of their 'passing' without hindrance.

Moving onto the next chapter, I did feel more interested in the Yakuza character who was stabbed. I thought about how he would look back on his life, having been 'destined' for hell and to live a terrible life from the moment he was born. I especially enjoyed his and Hirasaka's picnic on the bridge, amidst the rushing and tired commuters.

I do feel this book had more to give, and had high potential. However, it just was not very interesting for me and the genre seems like a tired trope of Before the Coffee Gets cold. The writing is good, but there is much left to be desired.

Update - final chapter was actually good but some random extreme child abuse came up which I was not prepared for nor did I expect. It ended nicely where Hirasaka did something wonderful for the girl. And it came around full circle from when we didn’t know much about him 💛

Thanks to Net Galley for the e-arc
Mahdiyyah