This debut novel is a raw and honest look into grief and loss and how it penetrates even the smallest, most mundane details of your life. Kyoko, a Japanese-American immigrant loses her husband early in their life and she is left to learn how to navigate the everyday things you would usually share with your partner, including raising their son. The story is told through several different scenes, like small snapshots into Kyoko's life throughout the years as we watch her try to find joy again. This was a really touching read.

This was such an interesting book. I really enjoyed the story and how the format of the book were short chapters, giving us a view into the life the characters. I enjoyed that each chapter was short but the book timeline is not. It's clear that the author had a personal connection to grief because it flows throughout the words. I enjoyed this story a lot and will be sure to look for more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC!

This is a quirky and unexpected story on love and loss with some stereotypical and wild characters. You kind of have to play the believing game as you read it. I had a little trouble getting into it and staying with it, but it speaks to loss very eloquently so readers who have themselves suffered a loss may find it very moving and soothing to read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's unique!

A beautiful debut novel a book that tore at my heart.A young widow her husband died in a freak accident leaving her to raise their son alone.She is Japanese he was Jewish and she learn to look to her family and Bubbie the child’s Jewish grandmother.This story carries us through many years following all the emotions sadness joy healing.This is a story that will stay with you a book I will be recommending.#netgalley #doubledaybooks

In this story, a Japanese woman named Kyoko experiences the loss of her Jewish husband in a freak accident that leaves her alone and responsible for their son, Alex. This is the story of her grief, the people who sit in it with her, and how relationships stretch and change. Primary amongst the cast of characters is Bubbe, her mother-in-law, who is sometimes a caricature of a Jewish grandmother, but also gets fleshed out into her own person. The novel spans a long period of time, and yet it has a languid tone that is, perhaps, a reflection of what grief can feel like over time. There's never a finish line for grief; whether you like it or not, you're in it for the long game.