I bought this book, on a whim. I was in Dubai Mall to meet Safia, Bookish Dubai and obviously our love of books and reading lead us to Kinokuniya. I have yet to go inside that bookstore and end up leaving with no book purchase in hand.

Japan, the culture, the language, the art, the people, everything about it, fascinates me. The book cover was cute, I have this exact version, it’s called “The Briefcase” in the US, I think.

“The familiar streets seemed alienating somehow. I felt just like a child who had tarried on her way, and now it was dark out and the streets that led back home seemed unrecognizable. Sensei, I whispered. Sensei, I can’t find my way home.”

“I was pretty sure that I wasn’t very good at this whole love thing. And if being in love required so much effort, then I wasn’t sure I wanted to be a part of it anyway.”

It was lovely and captivating. But there’s something about translated Japanese literature that feels wrong to me still. The ending was abrupt but that’s what’s beautiful. You remember the good, you live your life and don’t dwell on sadness.

This book will transport you to Japan, or to the Japan I wish to be transported to. This is love.