There's no doubt that the author knows his topic! It brought me back to my own eikaiwa days in Tokyo in the 1980s and it was fun to see both similarities and differences. The story itself is preposterous. But has enough reality in it to make the reader wonder just how preposterous it is, after all. Parts of it amused me, parts of it puzzled me and parts of it just made me want to give the main character (and a few others) a hug. It's a very different kind of story and I can't even begin to categorize it. And as a librarian, I do want to categorize it! But mostly I want to stand up and clap my hands for the author. It's one of those books where if you know, you know. I fear many readers won't understand it, but those that do will appreciate it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It certainly held my attention as it unwound. The author hit the bull's eye!