The Phone Box at the Edge of the World
Apr. 3rd, 2021 11:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearThis was another of my random Fox Lan Books purchases - The Phone Box at the Edge of the World by Laura Imai Messina tells the story of a real-life location, where an unconnected phone stands in a bamboo box in a remote garden in Japan. People visit from all over the country and the world, to speak into the receiver, mostly talking to loved ones who had died, and some to loved ones they have just lost in some other way.
The main thread of the plot follows Yui and Takeshi, who have both suffered great tragedy, and who meet on their first individual trips to the phone box. The become friends and arrange to visit together once a month from then on. The book tracks how they interact with the phone, reveals their backstory over time, shows them meeting other people at the garden, and develops the intertwining of their lives back in Tokyo.
The book is written in an unusual way. The chapters are very short, interspersed with lists, background information and further descriptions of small moments. The main narrative has very little direct action in it, at least until quite near the end, making it feel restrained and remote in some ways. But perhaps this is a deliberate act of kindness on the part of the author, protecting the reader from the full brunt of the emotion contained in the characters' stories, but still providing enough detail and interest to become engaged and invested.
The story gradually comes together in a really beautiful way and, in the end, is very affecting. So I would definitely recommend persevering with this one, even if you're not immediately taken with it. The book works its magic very slowly over the course of the story, without you realising it, allowing you into the characters' lives without being overwhelmed by the huge amount of sorrow they all suffer, and at last leading you to a place of peace and quiet joy.
The main thread of the plot follows Yui and Takeshi, who have both suffered great tragedy, and who meet on their first individual trips to the phone box. The become friends and arrange to visit together once a month from then on. The book tracks how they interact with the phone, reveals their backstory over time, shows them meeting other people at the garden, and develops the intertwining of their lives back in Tokyo.
The book is written in an unusual way. The chapters are very short, interspersed with lists, background information and further descriptions of small moments. The main narrative has very little direct action in it, at least until quite near the end, making it feel restrained and remote in some ways. But perhaps this is a deliberate act of kindness on the part of the author, protecting the reader from the full brunt of the emotion contained in the characters' stories, but still providing enough detail and interest to become engaged and invested.
The story gradually comes together in a really beautiful way and, in the end, is very affecting. So I would definitely recommend persevering with this one, even if you're not immediately taken with it. The book works its magic very slowly over the course of the story, without you realising it, allowing you into the characters' lives without being overwhelmed by the huge amount of sorrow they all suffer, and at last leading you to a place of peace and quiet joy.
