Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon

The Unforgettable million-copy Japanese bestseller by Mizuki Tsujimura unfolds as a suspenseful magical realism mystery about a teenage go-between who arranges meetings between the living and the dead. Ayumi Shibuya, dressed in a designer duffel coat and carrying a tattered notebook, offers a one-time service: reunions that take place in a luxury hotel under a full moon. Each encounter is voluntary for the departed, and the living hear stories that illuminate guilt, longing, and unresolved questions from their past. Set in Tokyo and told through intertwined vignettes, the book follows diverse characters—a resentful eldest son, a teenage girl haunted by her friend’s death, and a weary businessman seeking answers—as they seek closure through these otherworldly meetings. The narrative invites readers to ponder life, death, and the power of what remains unsaid. The work has been described as captivating and page-turning, and it is introduced as a successor to Tsujimura’s broader themes of memory and connection, with a noted sequel referenced in the text. It is translated by Yuki Tejima and published by Ballantine Books, with a 310-page paperback edition released in 2025.

In Tokyo’s luxury-hotel setting, the Go-Between’s ground rules are clear: reunions last one evening under a full moon, and the dead can refuse or be called back by no one else. The narratives unfold through multiple reunions, each bringing a different living seeker into contact with someone they lost, offering moments of insight and unresolved longing to be addressed.

Kenmerken

• Ayumi Shibuya is the Go-Between, teenage protagonist
• Reunions occur in een luxueus hotel onder volle maan
• Een reunion duurt één avond; de doden kunnen weigeren
• Verhalen lopen door elkaar, met verschillende personages
• Oorspronkelijke titel in Japan: TSUNAGU of GO-BETWEEN
• Sequel genoemd: How to Hold Someone in Your Heart