the perfect world of miwako sumida goodreads

When I read the blurb for this book, I had my initial reservations. So I think the formula in The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida worked? There are answers to almost all questions - something Murakami shies away from - and while I wondered whether this is a good thing or a bad thing in a novel as this, I was also aware that I adored this book and constantly thought the characters in my waking hours. However if you are expecting another Murakami novel, you would be disappointed.

Those who love Murakami would be at home with Ryusei and Miwako. There are cats that get lost, strange men, journal entries, internal anxiety eating a man alive, surreal peculiarities and slow routines of daily life. Her second novel, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida, which took five years to write, rests comfortably in the familiar setting of her first book. Rainbirds - Goenawan’s debut novel - felt distinctly Murakami-esque. Read : The Red Circle Minis feature modern, original stories from JapanĬlarissa Goenawan writes a familiar story - Murakami-ish, vivid The story is set in Japan and Goenawan - an Indonesian born Singaporean writer - writes a convincing story. Through the eyes of Ryusei (a student at Waseda university), Chie (Miwako’s friend) and Fumi (Ryusei’s older sister), Goenawan invites us into a perfect world cracking up with imperfections, secrets and tragedies. I would stretch the 280-something pages into many nights and spend my mornings looking forward to picking up the book again. And this year, it was The Perfect world of Miwako Sumida for me. It isn’t often that you read a book and do not want it to end. I was reminded of Janice Pariat’s Nine Chambered Heart which constructs a character through the eyes of those she interacts with, ultimately making us question ‘how well do we know a person?’ The titular character does not get a POV in the strict sense - she writes letters though - and we get glimpses into her through her interaction with her friends. Review of The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida

Having loved Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan, I was eager to peep into the life of Miwako Sumida - her perfect world, no less. I love the surreal, languid style in Murakami’s The Wind up bird Chronicle, the soft urgency in Banana Yoshimoto’s writing ( The Kitchen is wonderful), the bloody, cosy mysteries of Seishi Yokomizo, and the darker thrillers of Keigo Higashino. A familiarity hiding in the books set there - no matter how different the writing style may be - that makes me feel attached. Even though I have never been to Japan, they feel familiar to me - a home I can visit through fiction.

The perfect world of miwako sumida goodreads