The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida

December 23, 2019
Goenawan’s tender and tragic follow-up to Rainbirds follows a group of college friends grasping for answers after the death of their friend. Ryusei Yanagi first meets fellow student Miwako Sumida at a restaurant near the Waseda university campus in Tokyo. They bond while browsing in an English-language bookstore, reading together in their university’s library, and assisting Ryusei’s sister, Fumi, at her painting studio. Ryusei is drawn by Miwako’s candor (“You seem pretty frivolous to me,” she tells him after admitting surprise at his deeper interests), but the two stay in romantic limbo as Miwako keeps Ryusei at a distance. Goenawan conveys Miwako’s story in three parts, alternating from the gentle and heartbroken Ryusei, artist and late-night hostess Fumi, and wistful and anxious best friend Chie, who accompanies Miwako to get an abortion without knowing who had gotten her pregnant, having sensed that her friend had been raped. After Miwako goes to Kitsuyama, a remote Japanese village, and commits suicide, Ryusei and Chie follow a trail of clues from letters and diary entries to understand why she killed herself. Goenawan’s luminous prose captures the deep emotions of her characters as they grapple with questions about family history, gender, and sexuality. The tug of Miwako’s strange, troubled spirit will wrench readers from the beginning. Agent: Maria Cardona.

January 15, 2020
When a Tokyo university student hangs herself in a remote forest, three devastated friends seek to understand why. Reluctantly attending a group blind date, Waseda University student Ryusei Yanagi is immediately attracted to Miwako Sumida, whose "serious expression behind a pair of old-fashioned thick-rimmed glasses" and blunt manner are at odds with her prettier and flirtier girlfriends. "She seemed sensible," Ryu thinks. As they bond while browsing in an English-language bookshop and reading together in the library, Ryu falls in love with Miwako, sensing a softness and compassion behind her hard exterior, but she refuses to date him. Fumi, Ryu's transgender sister, is also intrigued by the stubborn and standoffish girl, whom she hires as a painting assistant for her studio. Eight months later, Miwako is dead, and a grieving Ryusei travels with Miwako's close friend Chie Ohno to Kitsuyama, a mountain village where Miwako spent her final days, to find answers. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Fumi receives an unexpected visitor who might hold a clue to Miwako's suicide. Set in the same moodily atmospheric Japanese world as her acclaimed debut novel, Rainbirds (2018), Indonesian-born Singaporean writer Goenawan explores via the perspectives of Ryu, Fumi, and Chie how a carefully crafted facade of hardened perfection can crumble under the weight of painful secrets and shame, leading to tragedy. Although the nature of Miwako's hidden past becomes apparent early on, she is such a compelling protagonist that the reader doesn't mind the obviousness. Like Japanese brush painting, the author's simple, clear prose captures Miwako's vulnerability and complexity. Also vividly drawn are Fumi and Chie, each having built their own unusual protective personas that are gradually revealed. An eerie and elegant puzzle.

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March 1, 2020

When college student Miwako Sumida hangs herself, it affects three people. Ryusei Yanagi, another student, met Miwako at a group date, and fell in love with her eight months before her death. Secretive and stubborn, Miwako did not return his love. Her best friend, Chie Ohno, thought she knew more about Miwako because she went with her for an abortion. But Chie's version is not complete. Ryu and Chie make a pilgrimage to the village where Miwako died, but they don't find the answers they're seeking. Ryu's older sister, Fumi, discovers the truth. Born a boy, Fumi always wanted to be a girl. When their parents were killed in a car accident, she took care of Ryu, first in the orphanage, and then in an apartment, even when he went to college. Fumi can see ghosts, so when Miwako's ghost appears to Fumi in another form, she reveals her tragic story. VERDICT This haunting tale of grief and tragedy by the author of Rainbirds might appeal to new adults who remember John Green's Looking for Alaska. The leisurely narrative uncovers a world of Japanese customs, ghosts, and grief. [See Prepub Alert, 9/9/19.]--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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February 15, 2020
In fact, the world inhabited by Miwako Sumida was less than perfect, causing the college sophomore to choose to leave it at the age of 20. In the wake of her suicide, those closest to Miwako were left stunned and looking for answers. Foremost among that group is Ryusei Yanagi, a classmate who had fallen in love with Miwako but whose attempts to date her were spurned, leaving them just good friends. Grief-stricken after Miwako's death, Ryusei turns to Miwako's closest female friend, Chie, who alone can help him uncover Miwako's secrets. Ryusei also shares his feelings with his older sister, Fumi, who had also grown close to Miwako; Fumi has her own secrets, including a gift that she often considers a curse and that lends an otherworldly aspect to the novel. Like Goenawan's previous Rainbirds (2018), this is more literary fiction than conventional mystery, featuring exceptionally well-drawn characters facing adversity in a narrative written with an elegance and delicacy appropriate to its Japanese setting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)