I am back, with my thoughts on Temple Alley Summer by Kashiwaba Sachiko! The book is translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa, with illustrations by Satake Miho, and published by Yonder, an imprint of Restless Books.

I found it an easy read and the premise was interesting and even thrilling, especially in the early chapters, before the narrator (and readers) know what exactly is going on.

Kazu sees a girl leaving his family’s home early one morning. She is wearing a white kimono, much like how his late grandfather was dressed for his burial! Kazu is convinced he’s seen a ghost and even more so when he has to research old place names at school and learns that his own street was once called Kimyō Temple Alley — Kimyō meaning ‘return to life’.Read More »