This is the type of deceptively quiet Japanese novel that I really love. It reminded me in places of Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, which is praise indeed!
We learn about spiky but lovable Miwako and her entanglements with her class mates, her family and her new friend / lover / boyfriend / acquaintance (question mark?) Ryusei and Ryusei's older sister Fumi.
We come to love each character as we are inevitably drawn towards the tragedy that is Miwako taking her own life, and we go on to see the characters after her passing and how they process the grief and the world now.

I really really like this book! 4 stars

Written with attention and care to detail that engages beyond a normal level, this book has the sheer power to draw your full notice away from anything else. Beautiful and powerful, it really is a must read for 2020. As the characters piece together what they know - and more importantly, what they think they know - Miwako becomes so real you can almost feel her in the room.

A quiet and insightful reflection on suicide, loss and the effects of sudden death on a number of different characters, this book is a delightfully deep introspective.

Miwako Sumida is a charismatic character whose death is at the centre of the book, but there are other deaths and other relationships that are beautifully explored throughout the novel. 

Family bonds and losses are explored, and many other issues such as bullying at school and growing up in contemporary Japan are covered in detail. The characters of Ryusei, Fumo and Chie are lightly but cleverly drawn, and you really feel for the situations they find themselves in.

Miwako haunts the book and provides an incredibly powerful feeling of stillness and calm at the centre of a full-blown character storm, while the ending is just about perfect.

There was so much that irritated me about this book that I don’t know where to start. Before I start on why it irritated me so much, a quick precap. Miwako Sumida has hanged herself (not a spoiler). The why-dunnit, such as it is, is narrated in three sections: through her would-be boyfriend Ryushi, her best friend Chie, and her employer Fumi-nee respectively. 

So a young woman dies, her friends need to make sense of her death, and so try to discover her dark secrets. So the story is Twin Peaks really. A rainbow-flagged Murakami-flavoured remix of Twin Peaks in fact, which should therefore have been absolutely amazing. Compared to Laura Palmer’s dark secrets, Miwako Sumida’s are more of a pale beige. So don’t get excited about any big reveals.  

The book’s themes and tropes are so Murakami-esque I was embarrassed for the author: disappearance of troubled woman, weird sexual fantasies, odd health institutions in the middle of nowhere, ominous forest, unrequited love, realising you never really knew someone until it’s too late. There’s even a missing cat. OK, no wells, jazz, spaghetti recipes or laundry, but you get the idea. 

It would take too long to list all the things that irritated me so here are some of the main ones. None huge in themselves, I admit, but they mounted up to a big cumulative irk.

If you’re going to tell the same story from three different perspectives, a) it needs to be a good story, and b) each retelling needs to present things differently and/or develop the narrative or characters, or something. But it wasn't, and it didn't.

If two of the three main characters in those narratives - Ryushi and Chie - are utterly devoid of personality, then the central character, although dead, had better be interesting. Oh wait. She’s deeply dull too, and even her spite and supposedly dark secrets fail to spark any engagement. But somehow we’re meant to believe that she’s fascinatingly complex and a joy to all who knew her. Well show, don’t tell, I say.     

If you’re going to include a MTF trans character you don’t have to refer to their gender identity and uber-femininity every single time they’re mentioned. It was signalled loud and clear that There’s Something About Fumi-nee so no big surprise there. She is the only vaguely interesting character in the book, but her gender is laboured to death. It felt immature and try-hard.   

The writing is pedestrian, the dialogue wooden, the pace sluggish, the psychology superficial and incoherent. The weird sex fantasy, um… well all I’ll say is elderly laughing gnome incubus and we’ll just leave it there.    

Oh, and after 20-odd chapters of plodding banality you don’t just suddenly chuck in some magic realism at the end. Annoying and silly.

How do you find happiness while staying true to yourself? This book is not so much about Miwako, but more about the three narrators’ journeys. Three people that all happen to know that one girl: a girl that is unique and renders other people colorless, but also a girl with a painful past. Together they tell the whole story of Miwako Sumida. But does anyone know the real her?

They all have their own story to tell. When Ryusei wants to find out why she killed herself, Chie tells him that there is no use in chasing a shadow. Still, they take the train to the mountain village where Miwako volunteered to chase her past in a place that feels like a different world. On their journey, they meet some challenges when it gets dark and the forest seems to invite them to stay: so they can be free and no longer need to carry this burden. The description of their visit to a remote (religious) site in Japan is on point, I certainly felt like that at times while traveling in Japan (Yakushima comes to mind).

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is dialogue-heavy and easy to read. Clarissa Goenawan is certainly skilled at writing dialogues; they read very naturally. The characters are pleasant and could be your everyday neighbors (if you live in Japan). There aren’t too many characters or references to things you could or should know about. Skillfully and slowly Goenawan unravels the motives behind the things Miwako did. 

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a solid YA novel with supernatural elements woven into the story. A book about people finding the strength to be who they are so they can stop pretending and accept themselves for who they are. Clarissa Goenawan doesn’t shy away from discussing gender dysphoria, bullying, and abuse.

The characters each tell their own story with a unique voice. While they do this from a youngster’s point of view, they don’t sound untried. Their sorrows are described well, but not in a way that makes you feel sad; for that the narrative is too distant. This story is not about any of them in particular, but about the whole and the impact of one girl on the people in her lives.

Goenawan's prose is smooth and flowing and the premise of the novel intriguing and Murakami-esque, however, the story did not delve deep into the characters' internal processes after the fact of Miwako's passing, it hinged more on revealing the whudonit behind the tragedy rather than ascending to the heights of its emotional potential or even fleshing out the characters themselves.

I see there's a lot of  love for this book which I can understand but sadly don't share. For me, this comes over as too slick and plastic and it's only the cool tone of the narrative which keeps this from turning into fevered melodrama. With lots of high emotion on the surface, there's no work for the reader to do. And that development towards the end... really? It seems like the ultimate 'let me explain everything to you' ending. The writing is fluent, for sure, but I found the whole mode of telling to be simplistic where I wanted complexity.

A perfect glimpse into Miwako's world, this is such a heartfelt and poignant book, with the tenderness and beauty that I associate with the best in contemporary japanese writing. 

The story is split into three main parts, with each part narrated by a different integral character, all by people who were important in Miwako's life. I really enjoyed this approach as it illustrates how different relationships bring different things out in us. 

Although this is a simple tale about the end of one young woman's life, it is so much more than that. An exploration of life and the way others see us and more importantly how we see ourselves. It really is a special and tender tale.

Goenawan is often compared to Murakami and I can see why, her writing style and the characters that almost seem without any emotion or depth certainly reminded me of Murakami. Ultimately, this is also the reason why I did not love this book. I never felt any connection to the characters or the story, yet, I appreciate that this is most likely a deliberate form choice. Alas, this type of form does not work for me. The thing that will stick with me the longest is the portrayal of trans women and I pondered the differences: The way trans women are portrayed would be a big "no" in the west and I wonder how trans people in Japan would feel about this novel. Is this different? That's certainly something that will linger in my mind when I probably forget the rest of the book soon.

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is the story of a young women who decides to end her own life. Those who were closest to her are left confused, upset, hurt and left wondering why. In the final few months of her life Miwako left Tokyo to spend some time volunteering in a remote village, but her decisions and reasons leading up to her death are a mystery. Who was Miwako, and what was she running from?

I am so sad that I have finished this book because I just want to be able to experience reading it for the first time all over again. It was a beautiful slow-moving novel, quiet and soft in its approach and written wonderfully. The topics covered in this novel (which could be triggering) were handled delicately and the characters felt so real that it was masterful in its delivery. 

There is a mystery hidden in this book, but it is much more than that alone. It is a deep character study, with a focus on grief, hurt and how a person decides to deal with their emotions in life. It was so clever and moving and I can't help but want more, even though it was the perfect length and ended at just the right time.

I cannot stress how magical and wonderful a book this is. It's peaceful, serene, sad and moving all at once. 
I have found a new favourite book of all time in this novel and I cannot wait to pick up more from Clarissa Goenawan.

After college student Miwako Sumida commits suicide, Ryusei (the boy who loved her), his sister Fumi (who has secrets of her own) and Chie (Miwako's best friend) all have to come to terms with and try to move on from her sudden loss. And between the three of them, a portrait of a complicated individual emerges; Can you ever truly know another person?
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida is a beautifully written novel - melancholy and wistful without descending into bad melodrama, and tender and funny without being overly cheesy - with characters I loved to spend time with.
Thank you to NetGalley for approving me for an ARC in exchange for review.

This is a beautiful novella - exploring the suicide of eponymous character Miwako Sumida through the eyes of a young male friend, a high school best friend, and the young man's sister. Each character has some part of the story - in the end I felt I was less interested in Miwako and more in some of the characters - Fumi especially is an interesting character and her part - the last one in the book - was just perfect. 
It's beautifully written - it felt clear, poetic but not lyrical. I loved it.

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida explores a story of suicide in a beautiful and relatable way. Miwako Sumida, an odd, but clearly wonderful human commits suicide and leaves three friends who are utterly confused. The three sections of the book explore their reactions and relationships with Miwako. It is well written, sad, yet compelling, and pulls you along in the grief of the people who loved her. It also covers mental illness in a tryly compassionate manner. I also appreciate it for its twists and turns throughout. 

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

“The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida” by Clarissa Goenawan.

This book took me for surprise. I was expecting it to be an ordinary “Japanese style” novel, but it was so extraordinary. One of the deepest books that I’ve read this year, full with psychological factors of human lives. 

Book starts with girl committing suicide and events that happened prior that. There is 3 main characters Miwako, Ryu and Fumi. All of the have some weight from the past weighing the , and along the book they are trying to deal with their inner demons and things/people that have caused them. Sometimes all you need to be happy is to find peace within yourself. 

I’m rating this book 4/5 🌟. I loved the way author kept intrigue along the book. Some things were slightly predictable, but most of them were total page turners and so unexpected. I believed author all the way through the book. This book is one of those rare finds where author makes you feel that you’re involved in the story and you want to know more. It has got a lot of psychological factors involved too, personal data, family curses. It shows that there are some things out there that only ourselves can understand. This book makes you feel and things and the most important thing it shows how difficult sometimes is to live in our cruel world.

From the start of this book you find out one of the main characters Miwako has committed suicide. 
You are not told why and that is the stories objective to unravel the whole mystery through learning about her from those closest to her, her friends, boyfriend and family and showing off examples of her personality, what made her so desperate?. But most of the characters in this book have secrets or issues and many are addressed in this well crafted sympathetic story..
The ending was unexpected and a felt a little let down by it but overall I enjoyed this authors style. The writing flowed and I get what some reviewers mean by the 'Murakami vibe'.
A book I would recommend.
My thanks go to the publishers, author and Netgalley in providing this arc in return for a honest review.

(I recieved an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)

In short, this lovely but deep and heartbreaking book resembled a more inclusive version of Murakami, which was not a let down at all. I simply loved it, and the only reason as to why I'm mentally giving it 4.75/5 stars is the little big break of like three days that I took in the middle of it (which was kind of my fault) and the fact that the magical realism only made its appearance in the last pages (which was kind of the book's fault).
There's no need for me to put a trigger warning on this book for suicide and grief, because the synopsis is pretty clear on that, but I would also like to point out a few other aspects (which I thought were handled very well but might nonetheless be triggering to some people): bullying, sexual abuse, sexual assault. I won't dwell too much on this subject, because I risk giving away important details which I think make the book what it is. Although it seems like the synopsis basically tells you the most important thing that could happen, it doesn't. The story is so much more than that.
I found the writing style to be quite whimsical and not really flowery, but... It gave me that flowery, magical vibe without actually bearing the obvious characteristics of such a style. The effort that the author put into describing the scenery around the characters in such a simple way, but so as to make the reader actually feel the wind, the raindrops, the people chattering in the background, is to be appreciated.
The characters... They all went through traumas that made them who they are, who they were, and they assumed their characteristics in one way or another. If not all of them, at least the vast majority of them did. And now that we came to talk of characters, the inclusivity of an LGBTQ+ character (I will not say the actual letter the character identifies with because I think that might be a spoiler) in such a strict and severe society as the Japanese one, in such a family as one of priests, was simply flawless in my opinion. I can't speak for the representation myself, as I do not belong to the respective part of the LGBTQ+ community, but the fact that not only did we see the struggles that the character faces in the present time with the assumed identity, but also the struggles that the character faced upon getting to this point, made the whole representation seem very realistic.
The ending of the book had me gasping. I know it's kind of the role that magical realism plays: you never know for sure what you're gonna get in the end. But this time, at least for me, it was different. The author dropped hints all throughout the novel as to what the ending might be and I had a pretty close guess, but it still managed to impress me quite a bit. 
I am surely going to order this book in the near future, as it has become one of my favourites. I recommend it to whoever is into magical realism, Japanese fiction and twisted tales, but take into account the triggers. It is not really that graphic in my opinion, but it still needs to be pointed out.

(One of the longest reviews I've ever written and I could ramble even more - if how much I came to love this book wasn't obvious already!!!!)

“Before I knew it had happened, I’d fallen in love with Miwako Sumida...Eight months later, she hanged herself.
But I wouldn’t let her death slip past me. She’d wanted to tell me something, and I had to find out what it was.”
So begins the story of Miwako Sumida, and her closest friends’ quest to find out why she took her own life. This novel is, in my opinion, as close to perfect as it gets, and it saddens me that it doesn’t seem to be on many people’s radar. The storytelling is simple, beautiful and poignant, and the characters have real depths to them which unfold as the story goes on. It is a beautiful exploration of identity.
 I am not usually a fan of the supernatural in literature, but the way it is used in this novel is gentle and only adds to the beauty of the story. 
I could rave about this novel for hours, but instead please just let me implore you to add this to the top of the To Read list!

I was intrigued from beginning to end, and enjoyed the reading experience.  I was interested in the characters, and looked forward to learning where their stories would lead.

This book is a perfect example of why I'm obsessed with Asian literature. A beautiful, quiet study of character wrapped up in a psychological mystery.

This is the story of Miwako who was only a sophomore when she decided to commit suicide. We follow siblings Ryusei and Fumi. Ryusei was in love with Miwako and Fumi was her friend/boss. On their journey, through grief, we start to discover more and more about the mysterious life of Miwako Sumida and the events that led to her death. We also learn more about this brother-sister duo who have an incredibly heartbreaking history themselves.

The core of the story is pretty chilling and sad but the execution of this book makes the story feel heartwarming at the same time.

There is a beautiful sibling relationship which I love, Asian trans representation, mystery, secrets, twists and paranormal elements too.  I highly recommend picking this one up!

The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida follows a group of friends in Tokyo as they come to terms with the sudden suicide of Miwako Sumida, a solitary and secretive Waseda University student. The story is broken into three narrative sections as the 'love interest', best friend and her love interest's sister piece together the reason why Sumida took her own life.

I'm afraid this book was not for me at all. The writing was sparse and the dialogue unnatural, leading the whole story to feel flat and devoid of feeling. The narrative seemed directionless, and the plot meandering. The magical realism aspect came from nowhere and felt a little tacked on.

As for the characters, each felt completely without depth. I just couldn't warm to their individual narratives. Fumi's storyline had so much potential, and yet her own struggles, social issues, challenges, thoughts and feelings were completely sidelined and never explored. Characters never reacted to anything emotional in any meaningful way, despite the novel covering a full range of tragedies. Moreover, despite taking place after Sumida's death, we never fully get to see how the characters respond to or deal with their grief and loss aside from some flippant comments about crying. This is almost immediately overshadowed by the mystery of why she committed suicide, the answer to which is in itself only briefly tackled and never unpacked.