The Nakano Thrift Shop by Hiromi Kawakami is a poignant contemporary Japanese fiction offering which I enjoyed.
We meet the inhabitants of the Nakano Thrift shop – Mr Nakano, his two assistants and his sister. The action is told in the first person through the eyes of the young female assistant, Hitomi. She is perceptive in her observations as we hear about her daily life.
We meet a few regulars, as well as accompanying some of the collection runs.
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A Song Of Silence by Steve N Lee is the most powerful and heartbreaking historical novel that totally consumed me. It is set in Poland beginning in 1939 as war breaks out. The roots of the story are grounded in fact, being based on the very brave Janusz Korczak who ran an orphanage. I knew about this real life incredibly brave man, so I had an idea where the book was going.
The reader witnesses the Nazis walking into a village where the lead character Mirek Kozlowski has his orphanage. It was a time of great horror. Families were desperate to escape but “there was nowhere to run.” The author has conveyed the fear and the horror. It is a horror that gets deeper and darker as the grip of the Nazis intensifies.
Mirek Kozlowski is a well-rounded, fully believable character. His heart is huge. He turns no one away from his orphanage and is well loved by all.
Mirek Kozlowski practices sacrificial love. Every action he undertakes is for the good of the children in his care. He doesn’t want to lose even one life – but the Nazi war machine breaks his heart.
As a lead character, Mirek Kozlowski faces many choices. His choices are always for the good of the children.
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Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet is a really fun contemporary Christian novel that will make you smile, and give you a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Although the tone is light-hearted, there are some serious themes including forgiveness and trusting God. “Forgiveness is not an easy thing to give.” Forgiveness may feel impossible in our own strength, that is when we need to press into God and forgive in His strength. Forgiveness may be a one-off event or a process. If we do not forgive, we are harming ourselves and guilty of hubris as we are placing ourselves above God’s standard.
God is faithful. We can trust Him. “All I could do was keep my eyes on Him, believing He would make a way. I didn’t have to understand His plans.” We don’t need to understand God, for His ways are not our ways. We can always trust God. “When God started moving, He really started moving.” Sometimes God moves with gentle nudges. At other times He will use a megaphone to get our attention.
God has great plans for our lives. He doesn’t want us to live a mediocre life. He wants us to live our best life. “Don’t let fear cripple you.” Put your hand in God’s hand, and step out in faith. We do not need to see the whole staircase in order to take the first step.
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One Long Weekend by Shari Low is a powerful contemporary novel that I loved. For a few hours I immersed myself in the world of the novel as I joined for characters for a weekend.
The novel is set in Glasgow and told in the first person from four alternating points of view. These seemingly unconnected lives find themselves intersecting over one long weekend. The reader spots the connections before the characters do, as we become intimately acquainted with them all.
A moment in time is all it takes to alter four lives. Lives that were balanced on a knife edge find that life looks very different on a Monday afternoon compared with Friday morning.
We meet a character who is struggling with the loss of three people very dear to her heart. Each loss has merely heightened the previous losses. Four rings have symbolized three lives and when these rings are accidentally lost, a character is bereft.
There is the importance of family. Family will move mountains to support others. We witness sacrificial love as we see several sets of parents and grown up children who will do whatever it takes in order to protect those they love.
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