God offers a condemned spirit a new lease on life.
In Japanese author Mori’s U.S. debut, a dead soul has forgotten his mortal existence and is drifting toward oblivion when an angel named Prapura appears in his path. Though the soul committed a “grave error” during his time on Earth that would normally trigger his removal from the cycle of rebirth, Prapura’s boss has randomly selected him for a do-over. For the next year, the soul will inhabit the body of Makoto Kobayashi—a 14-year-old who just died of an intentional overdose. (Prapura will provide information and assistance when needed, provided he’s in the mood.) If the soul makes sufficient progress, he’ll regain his own memories, and if he's then able to acknowledge the enormity of his mistake, he’ll vacate Makoto and move on with a clean slate. At first, the newly resurrected Makoto falls into the same dark rut as his predecessor: His grades are terrible, he has no friends, and he regards his family with disdain. But when Makoto’s parents and older brother open up to him about their own struggles and admit how profoundly his suicide attempt affected them, his conception of the world begins to change. Naoki Prize winner Mori tackles a fraught topic with empathy, humor, and grace. The soul’s wry narration keeps the tone light while the simple yet powerful plot beautifully illustrates the impact that perspective can have on one’s mental health.
An uplifting tale about the kaleidoscopic nature of the human soul.Pub Date: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64009-442-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Counterpoint
Review Posted Online: May 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2021
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | PARANORMAL FICTION
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Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.
17
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The adventures of a trio of genius kids united by their love of gaming and each other.
When Sam Masur recognizes Sadie Green in a crowded Boston subway station, midway through their college careers at Harvard and MIT, he shouts, “SADIE MIRANDA GREEN. YOU HAVE DIED OF DYSENTERY!” This is a reference to the hundreds of hours—609 to be exact—the two spent playing “Oregon Trail” and other games when they met in the children’s ward of a hospital where Sam was slowly and incompletely recovering from a traumatic injury and where Sadie was secretly racking up community service hours by spending time with him, a fact which caused the rift that has separated them until now. They determine that they both still game, and before long they’re spending the summer writing a soon-to-be-famous game together in the apartment that belongs to Sam's roommate, the gorgeous, wealthy acting student Marx Watanabe. Marx becomes the third corner of their triangle, and decades of action ensue, much of it set in Los Angeles, some in the virtual realm, all of it riveting. A lifelong gamer herself, Zevin has written the book she was born to write, a love letter to every aspect of gaming. For example, here’s the passage introducing the professor Sadie is sleeping with and his graphic engine, both of which play a continuing role in the story: “The seminar was led by twenty-eight-year-old Dov Mizrah....It was said of Dov that he was like the two Johns (Carmack, Romero), the American boy geniuses who'd programmed and designed Commander Keen and Doom, rolled into one. Dov was famous for his mane of dark, curly hair, wearing tight leather pants to gaming conventions, and yes, a game called Dead Sea, an underwater zombie adventure, originally for PC, for which he had invented a groundbreaking graphics engine, Ulysses, to render photorealistic light and shadow in water.” Readers who recognize the references will enjoy them, and those who don't can look them up and/or simply absorb them. Zevin’s delight in her characters, their qualities, and their projects sprinkles a layer of fairy dust over the whole enterprise.
Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-32120-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
Categories: LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION
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BOOK REVIEW
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PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
A tragedy has sent a young artist into seclusion. A potential apocalypse may be enough to bring her back.
For the past two years, 10 months, and 18 days, Katie’s lived in darkness, on retreat from her former life as a rising artist after a personal tragedy eclipsed any happiness she believed possible. Jacob’s Ladder, a remote island named by a former resident for its potential as a stairway to heaven, offers Katie the chance to hide from the rest of the world, merely existing, not healing. She lives each day trying to fulfill what she’s called “the Promise” to those in the life she once knew, though a promise of what is not clear. The closest neighboring islands, Oak Haven and Ringrock, are equally cloistered. Though Katie’s realtor has suggested that Ringrock is some sort of Environmental Protection Agency research station, Katie’s cynicism makes her suspect something more nefarious. The protagonist's remote world and the author’s moody writing are disrupted one night by the startling appearance of drones and the suspicious behavior of a fox Katie’s dubbed Michael J. The wary canine serves as a harbinger of potential danger, and Katie responds by arming herself to the hilt when unexpected guests descend on Jacob’s Ladder. While the true purpose of these visitors is unclear, Katie senses that the greater world is at the precipice of permanent collapse and that she may be the only one who can prevent the impending apocalypse.
A moody tone hangs like a cloud over the alarming but vague danger awaiting the world.Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-6625-0044-2
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Review Posted Online: Nov. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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