This is one of those "right book, right time" kind of reads, especially in these days of pandemic. It is a quietly contemplative, hopeful story of family, loss, grief, love and hope. At the heart of this story is a simple premise: that every person will find a place - be it real or somewhere deep within themselves - where they can tend to their emotional pain, loss, suffering and heal their wounds. This place can take on a different meaning and purpose for each person, but the end result is the same: the ability we all have to go from a place of darkness, pain and suffering to one of sunlight, healing and hope. Beautifully written, I love the idea of a Wind Phone to connect with our loved ones, when normal communication channels are not available, or not working. This book, for me anyways, really was a balm for my soul... soothing and nurturing with a calming, meditative pace. A place of solace in these crazy times.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Overlook Press for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

*I was provided an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

The phone booth at the end of the world is in the small town of Otsuchi in northern Japan, one of the areas that was devastated by the 2011 tsunami.

Prior to the tsunami, a resident decided to place an old disconnected rotary phone and booth in his garden to speak to his cousin, who passed away, and his words could be carried away on the wind as he spoke. After the tsunami, word travels through Japan about the wind phone and how it is used by people to talk to their deceased loved ones. Having lost her mother and daughter in the tsunami, Yui decides to visit the phone booth, where she meets Takeshi. Takeshi's wife passed away, and now his 2-year-old daughter has stopped talking. From their first encounter, the pair weave their way into each others' lives in this beautiful story of loss, love, and honoring the past while finding your future.

This story was beautifully written, from the heartbreaking descriptions of the 2011 tsunami to Yui and Takeshi's hopefulness. Broken up with vignettes about different people and things from the book, I found this a delightful read.

Beautifully written heart wrenching..A-phone booth at the edge of the world where you can talk to loved ones you lost..The distraught people who journey to get here ,their emotional stories had me in tears.A story that stays with you long after you read the last page.#netgalley #abramsboojs

I really really enjoyed reading this book. My heart broke with Yui and Takeshi and I definitely lost some sleep reading. Having traveled in Japan several times, it made it almost comforting knowing what many of the things were. Lawsons. Tokyo tower. Family Mart.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is based on a phone booth erected in Japan after a disastrous tsunami where people can go to speak to those they have lost. The characters who meet there and find a way to go forward in their lives are compelling and relatable.

Sweet novel about hope after loss.

I enjoyed this book! I would highly recommend it to fans of “The Five People You Meet in Heaven”.

I was a little surprised by where the Story went though, I thought it would be a bunch of vignettes about people visiting the booth and their reasons for it (and there were a couple of those) but it ended up being 90% about Yui’s life outside of the phone booth. It was still an interesting story, just different than what I expected.

I enjoyed most of the little interjections between chapters. “Things That Were Said In the Phone Booth”, “The picture Hana drew”, the little snippets of life we’re interesting and broke the book up nicely making it a quick read. .

I was a little disappointed by the ending, when you find out what Yui said into the phone. The whole book she avoids going into the booth, so I expected that the book would end with her entering it and leaving the conversation to the readers imagination or with her saying something widely unexpected, but instead you simply learn that she says hello. I understand the rest of the conversation is left for you to imagine, but I was looking for more.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. March 11,2011 is a day that Yiu will never forget. A Tsunami struck in Japan where her mother and daughter died. She looked at life as pre and post Tsunami. People in her town learn of a man who has a broken phone booth in his backyard where people go to talk to loved ones that have passed away.

Such a depressing book. What would you do if you knew there was a phone on the other side of the world where you could talk to a loved one who is no longer with us? Would you travel there and talk to them. This book explores that concept with a family. Very depressing honestly. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an advance copy of, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World, by Laura Imai Messina. I really like this book. Everyone goes through grief differently. This book helps you deal with your grief. This book made me cry. It is beautifully written.