general

• quick summary -
• key themes - human connection, acceptance and inclusion, discrimination, redemption, the meaning of life.
• fav character - tokue; can she please be my grandmother?

interests

• what i found interesting - the quiet, fragile, spring morning-like atmosphere of the whole book + the food descriptions made my mouth water.
• what i learned - when tokue's 'disease' was first introduced, I thought it was something related to sex trafficking or slavery. leprosy didn't even occur to me. I didn't know much about it, so it was very enlightening to learn about a disease that is barley talked about today.
• fav quote -

further reading

• follow-up context research - the history of leprosy, and especially in japan.

rating

• 4.25/5 - what a hopeful, bittersweet story. I connected with the characters immediately, and I just wanted to see them be happy. wanting a second chance in life