Book Review: The Vanishing Cherry Blossom Bookshop - Takuya Asakura
About the book
For fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, What You Are Looking for Is In the Library, and Days at the Morisaki Bookshop comes an enchanting novel that will linger in your heart long after the last page is turned.
As the last petal falls, the final page is turned…
Welcome to The Cherry Blossom Bookshop, a haven for book lovers that only appears during the fleeting cherry blossom season. Nestled amidst the bloom of delicate petals, you’ll find a sanctuary for those burdened by regrets and past sorrows.
Here, Sakura, the mysterious young owner, and her wise calico cat, Kobako, patiently await the arrival of souls in need of solace and healing.
Told over four seasons, each visitor to the bookshop holds a book that bridges their past and present, guiding them towards understanding and acceptance.
Within the antique charm of the shop and the soothing aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Sakura and Kobako help their guests confront their lingering sadness through the power of stories, enabling them to move forward with renewed hope.
Why we love it
Part of me really wanted to wait until spring to recommend this book because really, just look at that cover...have you ever seen anything more gloriously spring-like than that?
But it's too good a book to hold back on sharing with you so instead I'm writing this on a wet and windy rainy autumn afternoon here in County Down. Besides, I figure that if ever there was a need for a comforting and uplifting read to remind us that sunnier days lie ahead, it's now.
And in case you're wondering, yes you absolutely can judge this book by the cover. It's every bit as magical inside as out.
Translated from the original Japanese by Yuka Maeno, the story revolves around a mysterious bookshop that appears only during cherry blossom season and only to visitors who are reading the same book at the same time as shopkeeper Sakura and her enigmatic cat Kobako.
In a similar spirit to novels like Before the Coffee Gets Cold and Letters from the Ginza Shihoda Stationery Shop, each chapter introduces a new customer who is in some way burdened by loss, regret or uncertainty.
Guided by Sakura and Kobako, they’re able to reconcile the past and the present, finding comfort and healing through the pages of a once-beloved book.
As with all magical realism, you have to be willing to suspend logic and belief when reading a book like this and just go with the flow of it, enjoying the quiet storytelling and emotional resonance of each individual character’s journey.
Sometimes when a book shifts between different characters, it’s easy to become more attached to one than another. Here though, Takuya Asakura writes each character which so much empathy and compassion that every chapter feels just as engaging as the last.
The bookshop itself is exquisitely described and I can perfectly picture it in my mind, from the falling blossom petals outside to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, stacks of books and the warm wood shelves and tables inside.
There’s a repetition of certain phrases and descriptions from one chapter to the next which I found gave a uniquely meditative, almost rhythmic, quality to the writing, tying the book together and making it so easy to get lost in. It also helped reinforce the recurring cycle of memory, reflection, forgiveness and acceptance that was a key part of each character's development.
This is an enchanting, thoughtful, and quietly powerful book that absolutely deserves a spot on your reading list. It’s the kind of story that makes you pause and reflect and once which definitely lingered with me long after I'd finished it.
