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Heaven (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
Such a stunningly raw and lyrical piece of Japanese literature!! This book will leave you absolutely heartbroken alongside the characters, while still reeling in the uplifting beauty of a story of two teenagers who find friendship in the midst of social isolation. (The bullying scenes can be a bit difficult to read, but it’s well worth it.)
- Alyssa
— From Heaven (Staff Pick)June 2021 Indie Next List
“I loved this book. Its portrayal of bullying is moving and intelligent. Kawakami gives us characters who speak to the heart and illustrate in one form or another the dilemma facing everyone in adolescence. Hopeful but chilling in equal measures.”
— Don Luckham, The Toadstool Bookshop - Keene, Keene, NH
Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE
"A raw, painful, and tender portrait of adolescent misery... This book is very likely to make you cry."--Lily Meyer, NPR
With profound tenderness and sensitivity, Japanese literary superstar Mieko Kawakami turns her unique gaze onto the causes and effects of violence. Raw but revelatory, this novel stands as a dazzling confirmation of Kawakami's standing as one of her country's most insightful and compelling novelists.
In Heaven, a shy high-school student is subjected to bullying from his classmates and the only person capable of understanding his ordeal is a young classmate who suffers similar treatment at the hands of her tormentors. Each finds in the other a unique sensibility capable of offering not only solace but also a fresh perspective on their predicaments.