THE HEARTBEAT LIBRARY by Laura Imai Messina (The
Phone Booth at the Edge of the World) is a quiet, reflective novel set in Japan.
Much of the story centers around the title library “where the heartbeats of
visitors from all around the world are collected” on the Teshima island. Key characters include Shuichi, a 40-year-old
illustrator, and a young elementary school student named Kenta, both of whom
are mourning Shuichi’s mother. They gradually build a trust and affection for
each other and widen their circle to include Sayaka, a love interest for Shuichi.
In its starred review Booklist describes THE HEARTBEAT LIBRARY as “a beautiful meditation on grief and
healing.” The story moves slowly, but
there is much to contemplate:
“Life is a succession of shipwrecks. … Because upon arrival on the beach,
whatever the existence that preceded it was like, it is now memory. No matter
how much pain we have accumulated, life begins again.”
“He smiled. He realized this was how you know you care about someone:
when you see them where they aren't.”
“…love is never alone fear is always right beside it.”
As an aside, this book called to mind another favorite book with heartbeat
in the title: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats; look for it and
others by Jan-Philipp Sendker.
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