THE LANTERN OF LOST MEMORIES BY SANAKA HIRAGI AND JESSE KIRKWOOD (TRANSLATOR) 2024

Blurb: Imagine waking up in a cosy photo studio in the mountains, between this world and the next. A kind man hands you a hot drink and a stack of photographs, one from every day of your life. There are hundreds, even thousands of them. They capture your best days and your worst, memories you treasure and those you try to forget. And then there are the rest, those in-between days that we didn’t know were leading to the great highs and lows. Then you are asked to pick one photograph from each year to be placed in a beautiful Japanese lantern, to be set spinning so that your life will flash before your eyes before you move on. This is the task set for each guest who arrives in Hirasaka’s photo studio. Like our most thumbed-over photos, our favourite memories can be tarnished in time too, so he guides them back in time to relive one special day over again, to take a fresh photo and find peace. The Lantern of Lost Memories is a healing, uplifting Japanese novel about family, love, loss and humanity, and what life is really about.

‘Life flashing before your eyes’ is a common phrase that comes up when people talk about death and near-death experiences. In fact, this phenomenon is frequently represented in cinema and literature. But Hiiragi gives this idea a creative twist with a calming photo studio, a helpful yet mysterious guide, and a unique opportunity to choose the memories the dead would like to relive before heading to the afterlife. If you are a fan of the Coffee Gets Cold series, this story is bound to make you feel the familiar warmth, with some unique characters, experimental themes, and tighter pacing. 

STORY OF THE  WOMAN WHO DID NOT GIVE UP

Hatsue, a 92-year-old woman, wakes up with no memory of her death, but once she is informed about her passing, she accepts the news without any regret or lingering sadness. She is welcomed by Hirasaka, a kind man who guides dead visitors to the afterlife as they assemble a photo from each year of their lives. Hatsue recalls her love and dedication to nurturing her students, as well as the struggles she faced as a nursery teacher in the aftermath of World War II. When she notices that one of the most important pictures has faded, she embarks on a day-long journey back in time with Hirasaka. The story behind the faded picture not only reveals Hatsue’s unyielding dedication to building a school for nursery children but also tells a poignant tale of collective endeavour and resilience, with educators and parents teaming up to carve a better future for themselves and their children amid financial uncertainty. 

STORY OF THE YAKUZA’S ECCENTRIC FRIEND

Waniguchi, a man in his 40’s and a member of the Yakuza, dies a violent death and struggles to accept that reality after waking up in the photo studio. But once he comes to terms with his own demise, he opens up to Hirasaka and reflects on his life.  To be clear, the reason behind his death and the murderer are irrelevant to the story. This story is more about his dynamic with one of his employees, Mouse. A socially awkward, yet incredibly talented repairman, Mouse works with robotic precision to fix things. Waniguchi’s growing fondness with this eccentric repairman reveals a softer side to this gruff personality as he defends a child from bullies and helps Mouse get in touch with his emotions. 

STORY OF THE GIRL WHO CHANGED HER FATE 

The dead are not the only ones who end up in the studio; people with near-death experiences also temporarily find themselves in the studio. But when they wake up, the experience becomes a mere dream. The final story touches on child abuse and explores Hirasaka’s mysterious backstory, a theme teased throughout the novel. Mitsuru is a victim of abusive parenting with an ignorant mother and a violent stepfather. Gravely injured and unconscious from her stepfather's abuse, she wakes up in the photo studio, except she is not dead. Hirasaka finds out that Mitsue’s fate is set in stone as she is destined to die minutes after waking up at the hands of her abusive stepfather. Now Hirasaka has two options: to do his job and share a cup of tea with Mitsue till she wakes up, only to die shortly after, or to do something unconventional to save Mitsue from a tragic fate. 

‘The Lantern of Lost Memories’ is one of the more unique stories among the plethora of comforting Japanese stories that tackle similar themes of death, separation and contentment. All three stories are tightly paced with fleshed out characters and sufficient mystery to keep the readers hooked till the end. 

I would like to give this book a rating of 5/5.