The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World

"Once hope changes direction, it loses its way and can no longer return." ~ 68%

In everyone's life there is an event that marks the passage of time. When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, everything is relative to March 11, 2011, the day the tsunami tore Japan apart. She struggles to continue on with life, days spent alone with her grief and pain.

One day, Yui hears about a man who has an old telephone booth in his garden where people find the strength and make the trip to speak to lost loved ones. Yui makes her own pilgrimage to the phone booth too but once there, she cannot seem to speak into the receiver. Instead she meets the acquaintance of Takeshi, a widower whose daughter has stopped speaking since her mother's death. Together they begin to heal.

"I pour all of these thoughts into that receiver, and many more." ~ 26%

Lost in translation, maybe? The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World is an international bestseller sold in 21 countries. People all over have experienced grief, mourning and survival. It is also inspired by a real phone booth in Japan that has been a place of solace since the 2011 tsunami. 

The premise is great but unfortunately that's where it ends. So why couldn't I get into it? Well, there is no plot. The short chapters only made the story easier to put down. I expected more beautiful writing and a connection to the characters visiting the fictional version of Japan's Wind Phone. Yet it fell flat.

Happy Early Pub Day, Laura Imai Messina! The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World will be available Tuesday, March 9.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World
Author: Laura Imai Messina
Published: March 2021
Pages: 167
Edition: Galley
Rating: 🖤