The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan is a novel about people trying to find the strength to be who they are so they can stop pretending.
The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida synopsis
A bewitching novel set in contemporary Japan about the mysterious suicide of a young woman.
Miwako Sumida is dead.
Now those closest to her try to piece together the fragments of her life. Ryusei, who has always loved her, follows Miwako’s trail to a remote Japanese village. Chie, Miwako’s best friend, was the only person to know her true identity — but is now the time to reveal it? Meanwhile, Fumi, Ryusei’s sister, is harbouring her own haunting secret.
Together, they realise that the young woman they thought they knew had more going on behind her seemingly perfect façade than they could ever have dreamed.
Book review
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.
Many thanks to Scribe UK and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Interested?
Pre-order The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida via Amazon (UK Kindle version available 29 September 2020).
