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.