Clarissa Goenawan

University sophomore Miwako Sumida has hanged herself, leaving those closest to her reeling. In the months before her suicide, she was hiding away in a remote mountainside village, but what, or whom, was she running from? Expanding on the beautifully crafted world of Rainbirds, Clarissa Goenawan gradually pierces through a young woman's careful facade, unmasking her most painful secrets.

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida

I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. The writing was smooth. Pieces were missing but heavily implied. I didn’t give it a 5/5 because I wasn’t a fan of the epilogue and the throwing in of this course (my only understanding might be about Fumi). 

Farah Aisha Shabrina

the story line isn’t something i would’ve expected at first, though i wasn’t putting much expectation throughout the reading. the more i read, the more i grew impatient of how the story might turn out. even until page 200-ish, i was still thinking “where would this story take me to? what’s next?” because there really was nothing to imagine as to how the ending might be. it was like taking up pieces of gravel along the way that you knew would lead you somewhere and make the traveling an eventful experience. but you were going on a steady pace, and you just couldn’t wait. 

as it turns out, the book did take me to a place of solace. the ending was so beautiful.. despite all the experiences Ryu had to endure, how was he so convinced that the world is such a perfect place? i think Ryu’s acceptance is what i’d give the book most of my credit for. if there’s one thing the book has ever taught me, it would be to see everything on the basis of love. so when you are disappointed, your disappointment won’t matter that much. and you can still see the world as perfectly the same as ever. i love LOVE how everything—the story line, the setting, the character, the writing style—perfectly blends together into one book.

charisa

3-3.5. mixed feelings about this one. i think it had so much potential! very reminiscent of murakami and even a little banana, but ultimately, the suspense felt a little contrived and the magical realism incongruous. 

also, i’m cognizant that this was penned by a non-japanese writer who doesn’t appear to have a connection to the culture other than an affinity for it. does that/can that justify your representation of such distinct voices? i need to think a little more about it.

kind of fell off halfway through chie's pov. ryusei is boring i wish this was about fumi instead. (view spoiler)[ i just think her being a trans woman and working at the hostess bar for men she says will never see her as a woman and having the ability to see spirits when it's passed down to first sons of priests and the way she doesn't want to get surgery bc what if she loses the ability and ryusei gets it instead and how she wants to protect him from that is much more interesting.  (hide spoiler)]

also i kind of disagree with using he/him pronouns for fumi's flashbacks to when she was a kid.

Mario Menti 

Enjoyed this a lot, a sort of literary whodunnit with some supernatural touches. If you enjoy Haruki Murakami, then this might be for you (if this makes it sound derivative, it's not meant to, even if there are parallels in the writing style).

A bewitching novel set in contemporary Japan about the mysterious suicide of a young woman. Miwako Sumida is dead. Now those closest to her try to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who has always loved her, follows Miwako’s trail to a remote Japanese village. Chie, Miwako’s best friend, was the only person to know her true identity — but is now the time to reveal it? Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei’s sister, is harbouring her own haunting secret. Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on behind her seemingly perfect façade than they could ever have dreamed.

A novel of modern Japan

Anyaconda

Fantastic work of fiction!
If you like Japanese literature á la Murakami you should pick this one up.
I can't wait for more from this author 🙂

A bewitching novel set in contemporary Japan about the mysterious suicide of a young woman. Miwako Sumida is dead. Now those closest to her try to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who has always loved her, follows Miwako's trail to a remote Japanese village. Chie, Miwako's best friend, was the only person to know her true identity -- but is now the time to reveal it? Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei's sister, is harbouring her own haunting secret. Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on behind her seemingly perfect façade than they could ever have dreamed.

A Novel of Modern Japan

Stefie 

4.5 stars.
TW: suicide. 

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a heavy book that tackled a lot of issues about how hard, painful, and difficult life can be. It is a book that tells a story, a journey about Miwako and her world, and why she decided to end her life. Suicide is a hard and sensitive topic to talk about. But Clarissa manage to present the topic in a gentle way, not explicit, without decreasing the importance of the issue. Same goes for other issues presents in the book.

The book itself is divided into three parts, three point of views of Miwako and her relations with these 3 characters: Ryusei Yanagi, Chie Ohno and Fumi-nee. In this book you get to experience a bit about Japanese culture in here, especially with the mentioned of goddess and forest spirit, make this book feels eerie and haunting. The atmosphere is quiet, calm, heavy and gloomy. At some part it is too quite & it scares me. But there are also parts that are sweet and heartwarming. 

I finished reading this book in one sitting last night. Yet, right now when I am writing this review, I still thinking about Miwako and the other characters in this book. I think they would be in my mind for a very long time. This book gave me a lot to think about. It breaks me. It haunts me. So many tragedies and events, heavy ones, that just left me feeling different kind of feelings.

Oh Miwako.......

From the critically acclaimed author of Rainbirds comes a novel of tragedy and dark histories set in Japan. University sophomore Miwako Sumida has hanged herself, leaving those closest to her reeling. In the months before her suicide, she was hiding away in a remote mountainside village, but what, or whom, was she running from? Ryusei, a fellow student at Waseda who harbored unrequited feelings for Miwako, begs her best friend Chie to bring him to the remote village where she spent her final days. While they are away, his older sister, Fumi, who took Miwako on as an apprentice in her art studio, receives an unexpected guest at her apartment in Tokyo, distracting her from her fear that Miwako’s death may ruin what is left of her brother’s life. Expanding on the beautifully crafted world of Rainbirds, Clarissa Goenawan gradually pierces through a young woman’s careful façade, unmasking her most painful secrets.

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida

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