Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

The cover of this book is what drew me to it, but it was the story that kept me interested. Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan was a thought-provoking, beautiful read that emphasized the power and importance of both holding on and letting go.

The story follows Ren Ishida, who has recently moved to Akakawa, Japan to pick up the pieces following the murder of his older sister Keiko. He quickly falls into his sister's old routine: taking her job teaching at a cram school, moving into her former room, and befriending her coworkers-finding comfort in the things she used to do. But it turns out that Ren didn't know his sister as well as he thought he did. Through building relationships with those his sister was close with, Ren begins to discover bits and pieces of information that when combined with unique dreams lead him to the discovery of Keiko's killer and the motive behind it all.

While the plot does center around a murder, it's not at all a thriller or even really a murder mystery. This story is more about Ren finding himself through the relationship he had with his sister, discovering when it is important to move forward and let go, as well as what memories are worth holding onto. You see Ren grow as a character as the story progresses, identifying things from his past that are no longer relevant (his sex-crazed friend from high school), and learning the importance of what could be in his future (his desire to reconnect with his girlfriend Nae). He takes the lessons his sister always taught him and actually begins to apply them to his life, realizing that he needs to move forward.

The writing was absolutely beautiful, and I found myself lost in the story. The chapters are short and flow together well. I've heard others say that this mirrors the style of Haruki Murakami, and as I've been curious about his work for a while I think it's time to pick up something of his!

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

A huge thanks to Soho Press for sending me an ARC of this beautiful book! Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan releases on March 6th, so be sure to pick up a copy!