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The House of the Lost on the Cape
The House of the Lost on the Cape | Sachiko Kashiwaba
2 posts | 2 read | 7 to read
From the author of the Batchelder Award-winning novel Temple Alley Summer, comes The House of the Lost on the Cape, the moving story of three generations of women adapting to their new home, and its mythical inhabitants, in the tragic aftermath of the 2011 T?hoku earthquake disaster. In the wake of a devastating earthquake and tsunami, Yui, fleeing her violent husband, and Hiyori, a young orphan, are taken in by a strange but kind old lady named Kiwa in the small town of Kitsunezaki??. The newly formed family finds refuge in a mayoiga, a lost house, perched atop a beautiful cape overlooking the sea. While helping to rebuild Kitsunezaki, the three adapt to their new lives and supernatural new home, slowly healing from their troubled pasts. Kiwa regales Yui and Hiyori with local legends--from the shapeshifting fox-woman who used to roam the mountains, to the demon Agamé and a sea snake who once terrorized the townspeople, preying upon their grief and fears until they trapped the snake and the demon's claws in an underwater cave. But when mysterious and sinister events start happening around town, the three fear the worst. Did the earthquake release Agamé and the sea snake into the world again? Kiwa, Yui, and Hiyori join forces with a merry band of kappa river spirits, a bold zashiki warashi house spirit, and flying Jiz? guardian statues to save their new family and home and banish Agamé and the snake once and for all. Now a hit anime film, The House of the Lost on the Cape is a heartwarming tale about the strength of family and friendship in the face of natural and mythical forces.
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erzascarletbookgasm
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Pickpick

A lovely, special tale about how people cope with life in a coastal town after the 2011 tsunami disaster in Japan. It centres around a girl, a young woman, and an elderly woman who met at a shelter. An engaging read, filled with folklore, and written with warmth and understanding. Thanks @batsy putting this on my radar. For an excellent review, look up @batsy ‘s thoughts on this book.

LeahBergen Lovely review! 10mo
batsy Great review! It was so lovely and mystical/fantastical in the best way. I must check out Temple Alley Summer next. 10mo
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batsy
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After seeing Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron I wanted to prolong the feeling I had while watching it, & I found it in this novel translated from the Japanese by Avery Fischer Udagawa. Like the film, the book stages the aftermath of a disaster (the 2011 earthquake & tsunami in Japan) as a time where boundaries blur between this realm & other realms, where folklore & magic mingle with daily life to help people find support & persevere.

batsy It's delicate and tender and beautiful, and much like Miyazaki it never veers into the cute or twee, but instead balances the mystery and menace of folklore with its healing and life-affirming aspects. I learned quite a bit about the types of different Japanese folkloric beings or mystical entities, and found the gorgeous illustrations to heighten the effect of the mysterious, calming atmosphere of the book. An excellent final read of 2023. 11mo
batsy The Miyazaki connection makes sense because I just learned that Sachiko Kashiwaba's The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist had an influence on Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli production Spirited Away. And I'll have to read Temple Alley Summer next! 11mo
Ruthiella Awesome way to end your reading year. Happy New Year to you! 11mo
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LeahBergen This sounds lovely! 11mo
batsy @Ruthiella Happy New Year! 💜 11mo
batsy @LeahBergen Just the kind of book to give you a little bit of sweetness and hope! I think you'll enjoy it, too. Happy New Year! 💜 11mo
Suet624 Oh wow. This sounds like something I need to read. Stacked. 11mo
batsy @Suet624 It's lovely! I felt so bad that just after I finished Japan had to greet the new year with another earthquake. 😟 11mo
erzascarletbookgasm Cool! I‘ll look this up. I liked Temple Alley Summer. 10mo
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