This might have been one of my most eagerly anticipated new releases this year. I really love Catfish Rolling, I think it’s a remarkable achievement of a book, and I was waiting not-so-patiently for Kumagai’s second novel.

There is a lot to enjoy here. There are lots of complex family relationships, particularly between Adam and his father and stepmother, which were explored in a really interesting and nuanced way. The cross-cultural themes were another strong point, giving the story and the characters plenty of depth. It was also a really absorbing read, and although they sometimes jarred against the modern setting, I enjoyed the diary entries from the past.

This book juggles a lot of characters, themes, and ideas, and they didn’t come together quite as deftly as they did in Catfish Rolling. There were so many surprises in the last 100 pages or so that it felt slightly unsettling, with some plot lines having a surprising resolution and others having none at all. It’s a very ambitious novel, and it didn’t quite hit the mark when it came to tying everything together.

That being said it’s still a strong novel, and I will definitely be picking up whatever Clara Kumagai writes next!

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, but I found it super hard to get into. I wasn't a fan of Adam, and I wasn't as invested im his story as I would have liked yo br.
While it wasn't for me personally, I know a lot of people will love this book.

Clara Kumagai‘s Songs for Ghosts explores themes of personal growth and maternal love across generations.
The story centers on Adam, a young man of Japanese and American heritage, who discovers a Japanese woman’s diary in his attic. Struggling with a sense of aimlessness, Adam becomes engrossed in the diary, immersing himself in the life of an unknown woman in early 20th-century Nagasaki. This creates two parallel storylines, connected through the found diary.

I found the historical narrative, set in Nagasaki, particularly compelling. The author’s skillful integration of Japanese folklore, including the use of biwa music and references to the Heike Monogatari, added depth and richness to the story. The narrative echoes elements of Puccini‘s Madama Butterfly, but Kumagai offers a distinct and less tragic, yet equally captivating, perspective.

Adam‘s contemporary narrative, while essential to the book’s structure, resonated less with me. Perhaps as I was not the target of this book, I struggled to connect with his character and his journey to find his path.
However, a moment of unexpected relatability, and subsequent frustration, arose when Adam struggled with his Japanese language studies, despite his heritage and prior coursework. As a graduate in Japanese literature who also grappled with language proficiency and a thwarted desire to live in Japan, I found this particular struggle acutely familiar. Adam’s eventual journey to Japan, a dream I myself abandoned, intensified my mixed feelings.

The initial portion of the book required patience, but the narrative gained momentum in the latter sections, culminating in a satisfying resolution.

In conjunction with reading Songs for Ghosts, I revisited Puccini‘s Madama Butterfly in the Staatsoper Hamburg and Vincent Boussard production.
Re-watching this opera as an adult allowed me to appreciate its complexities and nuances, though I also found elements of it to be racially problematic.
The musical performance was exceptional, but the minimalist, modern set design felt incongruous with the story’s setting and atmosphere. While the staging aimed to represent the encroachment of American culture, it lacked the evocative power of traditional Japanese settings. Nevertheless, the unconventional staging offered a fresh interpretation of the opera and Cio-Cio-san‘s psychological journey.

At first, Songs for Ghosts felt slow and heavy, but once Adam finds the diary, I was hooked. His journey to Japan, uncovering his family's past, was so captivating and emotional, and I honestly felt like I was right there with him. The mix of Japanese folklore, rituals, and music made everything feel so atmospheric and magical, and I loved how the past and present started to blur together. It’s one of those stories that sticks with you—bittersweet, a little eerie, but also full of heart.

A dual timeline story with Adam in present day America and an unknown woman's diary in Nagasaki starting from 1911.

Of the two storylines, I was far more drawn to the diary. Our unknown woman wants to live life on her terms in a time and society which disapproves. She's intelligent and opinionated which eventually leads her into writing magazine articles for women on topics other than housekeeping and children. Then the diary stops. So what's happened to our writer and will we ever know her name?

Present day Adam is a mess. He's a Japanese-American teenager and has never really fit in. Adam's searching for identity and meaning primarily in romance: see's a boy, fancies so must snog immediately. It also seems that all the East-Asian boys that he meets are gay. On a trip to Nagasaki, he begins to start sorting himself out and working out what he wants for his life. He's also crucial for resolving what happened to our diary writer and this is where the coincidences just keep piling up and up and up. Whilst it's nice that ends are tied up, the coincidences made this feel trite rather than satisfying.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and head of Zeus for this eCopy to review

I recently read Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai, this genre-bending YA novel follows Adam, a Japanese-American teenager who discovers a century-old diary in his attic. The diary, written by a young woman in Nagasaki, captivates Adam with its account of her life, caught between cultures, relationships, and heartbreak.

As Adam delves deeper into the diary, he dismisses the woman's tales of ghosts as mere fantasy—until he begins to experience haunting visions himself. Determined to unravel the mystery of the diary and the wrongs done to its author, Adam travels to Nagasaki. With the help of his new crush, he races against time to uncover the truth and save himself from the vengeful spirit.

The novel's strengths lie in its poetic prose and the seamless blending of historical and supernatural elements. The characters are well-developed, and the exploration of Japanese culture and folklore adds depth to the story.

Overall, Songs for Ghosts is a captivating and emotional read that I would recommend to fans of YA fiction, ghost stories, and cultural explorations.

firstly, I want to say thank you to netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

this was a beautiful YA coming of age story, with aspects of mystery and magical realism, that explores many different aspects of life and growing up.

I absolutely loved the diary entries and the dual timeline we had in the first half of the book. I think it really added something to actually get the diary writer’s story in full from her perspective and aided me in feeling more connected to her character too.

seeing Adam’s journey was also really nice, how he grappled with identity, love, family, grief…it was beautiful to see. the exploration of the Japanese culture was also really interesting and I loved experiencing and learning about that through this book.

the magical realism and mystery elements definitely elevated the plot and made this book a perfect recipe for everything I love in a book!

the writing and plot was captivating and I really enjoyed my time reading this. I would 100% recommend this!!

thank you to netgalley and clara kumagai for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

i absolutely LOVED this - thought provoking and quite emotional at its core, surrounded by incredibly interesting scatterings of japanese folklore, traditions, and history.

in songs for ghosts we follow adam, a japanese-american teenager struggling with feeling lost and disconnected. his family is dysfunctional, he’s just gone through a break up, and is dealing with all of the awkwardness and all the Weirdness ™ that comes with being a teenager. in his attic he finds a diary written many, many years ago by a young woman from nagasaki, and begins to be haunted by her ghost. in turn, he unravels her past, and his history.
i though the kind of dual pov - from adam, and entries from this diary - made for a really fast paced and consistently interesting read.

this is a story about grief and loss, and the connections we are able to have with our ancestors after years gone by. it explores the pain and horrors of history, specifically the atomic bombings of hiroshima and nagasaki, and the conflicting feelings that can come with understanding your history and ancestry, when knowing the pain that has been inflicted because of certain people or events.

music and the dead are deeply connected in this book as well, displaying how, with music, the dead are able to have the space to move on and find closure when given the opportunity. plus the solace that music can provide people, especially if it allows you to connect with those that came before.

i really enjoyed all of the magical realism of ghosts, and being haunted, and i am aaaaaalways captured by a story that explores the afterlife and how different cultures remember the dead. i will DEFO be looking out for anything clara kumagai writes next!!

a quote i want to keep:

“i prefer to read books these days. i have read dozens in the past months. they carry me to different places. i do not have to think about this life. i can have others instead.”

Thank you to Net Galley and Head of Zeus publishing for a free e-ARC of 'Songs for Ghosts' by Clara Kumagai.

This was a really interesting read - I haven't read any of Kumagai's work before and went into this book slightly unaware of what to expect. The book follows Japanese-American teenager Adam who has found an old and very intriguing diary amongst his late mother's belongings in his attic. This leads him to take a home stay opportunity in Nagasaki, where the diary writer lived, and meet new friends along the way.

As some other reviewers have noted, Songs for Ghosts was a really interesting mix of YA, history, and fantasy/supernatural elements. I found the afterword noting the research and sources that Kumagai had drawn from and included in the book (such as folk tales, poems, songs and other Japanese history) really comprehensive- this really added depth to the story and was quite educational for me at times.

The experiences and relationships of the various characters, particularly the queer characters in the present time and the feminist friendships/collective in the diary writer's time and those of the POC/diaspora in both, was a nice touch and I loved following their stories as they grappled with increasingly difficult situations and topics at times.

My only criticisms of this book was the pacing was quite slow to begin with and the varying narratives were a bit difficult to grasp and fully understand at the start of the story. Both became more understandable and picked up as the story grew and it was really interesting to see the different character's histories and narratives begin to intertwine across the 100 years between them. Some of the writing also felt slightly simplistic at times, however I appreciate that this book is YA and is written from the perspective of a teenage boy!

I love Clara Kumagai's stories! While her debut Catfish Rolling remains my all time favorite, this one was another beautiful tale. Instead of natural disaster and timetravel, Songs for Ghosts is following a queer Japanese American boy called Adam when he finds a diary from 1900s Japan. Struggling with his family situation and missing his mom who died when he was little, Adam starts to feel connected to the women in the diary and goes on an adventure to figure out who she was. It is a great entry into discovering more about Japanese history and stories. While the book is inspired by Madame Butterfly it truly is its own story with unexpected twists and turns. I love how the writer manages to weave stories into her story, as well as focusing heavily on music and different traditional instruments. Of course the book touches upon the Second World War, what happened to Nagasaki and the way the Japanese were treated in the US. It is a beautiful teachable story that I hope many will pick up!

Filled with a gentle sadness. The main character, Adam, a half-Japanese American teenager struggling to connect to his roots, feels very real and his journey to claim his identity is beautifully explored. The novel also incorporates a second timeline, written in the form of a diary which Adam reads. This is a difficult plot device to pull off, and it was a little clunky at times, but overall it worked well, and I was drawn into the story of the mysterious woman who plays songs for ghosts. When their stories intersect at the end of the novel, it is deeply emotional and satisfying.

Quite an impressive read!

Songs for Ghosts by Clara Kumagai is a hauntingly beautiful and deeply moving novel that weaves together themes of identity, heritage, and the enduring power of memory. With its lyrical prose, rich cultural tapestry, and supernatural elements, this book is perfect for fans of magical realism and stories that explore the connections between the past and the present.

The story follows Adam, a Japanese-American teenager who discovers a diary in his attic. The diary belongs to a young Japanese woman who lived a hundred years ago, and her account of her life—caught between cultures, relationships, and heartbreak—resonates deeply with Adam. As he reads, he becomes enthralled by her story, particularly her encounters with restless ghosts. At first, Adam dismisses these ghostly tales as fantasy, but soon he too begins to be haunted.

Determined to uncover the mystery of the diary and his own identity, Adam travels to Nagasaki, where the past and present collide in unexpected ways. As the ghosts gather, Adam must confront not only the spirits that haunt him but also the truths about his heritage and the legacy of those who came before him.

One of the standout features of Songs for Ghosts is its lyrical and evocative prose. Kumagai’s writing is poetic and immersive, capturing the beauty and melancholy of both Adam’s journey and the diary’s narrative. The dual timelines—Adam’s story in the present and the diary’s account from the past—are seamlessly interwoven, creating a rich and layered narrative that keeps readers engaged from start to finish.

Adam is a compelling and relatable protagonist, whose struggle to understand his identity and his place in the world is both poignant and universal. The young woman from the diary is equally fascinating, with her courage and vulnerability adding depth to the story. The ghosts, both literal and metaphorical, serve as powerful symbols of memory, loss, and the enduring impact of the past.

The setting of Nagasaki is brought to life with vivid descriptions and a strong sense of place. The city’s history and culture are integral to the story, adding depth and resonance to Adam’s journey. The supernatural elements are handled with a light touch, creating an atmosphere that is both eerie and enchanting.

Thematically, Songs for Ghosts explores issues of identity, heritage, and the ways in which the past shapes the present. The novel also delves into the idea of memory and the power of storytelling to connect us with those who came before us. These themes are woven seamlessly into the narrative, adding emotional weight and resonance to the story.

The pacing is excellent, with the tension building steadily as Adam uncovers the secrets of the diary and his own family history. The blend of magical realism, historical fiction, and contemporary drama creates a story that is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.

If there is a minor critique, it is that some readers may find the dual timelines and the supernatural elements a bit challenging to follow at times. However, this is a small quibble in an otherwise masterfully crafted novel.

Songs for Ghosts is a must-read for fans of magical realism and stories that explore the complexities of identity and heritage. Clara Kumagai has created a novel that is as haunting as it is beautiful, offering readers a chance to lose themselves in a world of memory, magic, and the enduring power of the past.

A lyrical and evocative exploration of identity and memory, Songs for Ghosts is a hauntingly beautiful novel that will resonate with readers long after the final page.

Songs for Ghosts combines the themes of cultural identity, generational trauma, and the supernatural through the story of Adam, a Japanese-American teenager. He stumbles upon an old diary written by a young Japanese woman from a hundred years ago, leading him to visit Japan to investigate.

The story does start slow, focusing mostly on Adam's personal conflicts but it picks up when he travels to Nagasaki to follow the clues in the diary. As he encounters ghosts from the past, Adam begins to connect with his family's history in surprising ways. Both Adam and the diary writer's relationships between friends, romantic partners, and family members feel genuine, and we see how both Adam and the diary's writer face similar struggles with cultural identity across different generations. Some readers may find Adam annoying, especially in the beginning. He makes some frustrating choices to be sure, but he is a teenager and that makes it all the more realistic to me.

For those who enjoy a thoughtful pace and supernatural themes, Songs for Ghosts offers a heartfelt journey that lingers in your mind even after you finish it.

Heart warming, sweet, magical, endearing. Beautiful writing. Such gorgeous friendships explored. I would reccommend to anyone.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

I was a big fan of this author’s previous book so I was really excited to read this one. I was not disappointed.

This is a beautiful book spanning two timelines and heavily influenced by the story of Madam Butterfly. We have a young man who is struggling with heartbreak and lacking a sense of belonging who finds a diary from a Japanese woman from decades earlier. He finds himself haunted as he gets further into the diary and travels to Japan to lean what happened to the journal’s author.

Our main character lost his mother and has a stepmother who really tries to make an effort, but his father is cold and distant, leaving him feeling excluded from the family. He has a baby brother who he adores, and I really liked the relationship here. He was always happy to look after and cherish his brother. However, he is feeling displaced within his family, causing him to seek meaning and a sense of identity. He’s not perfect, often lashing out as those around him through his pain and embarrassment. However we do see growth through his exploration of the diary, embracing his heritage, and attempting to understand others.

This is quite a gentle ghost story, the horrors and pain of this book being more human caused than supernatural. This book is beautifully written and about discovering meaning and identity in life and connecting with others, even across the years.

Adam discovers an old diary in the attic as he is trying to find a box of baby things for his step mother and as he reads it, in secret, he feels drawn in to the story and parallels with his own life. Through the end of the school term, as he is trying to deal with family and emotional issues, he finds the story in the diary increasingly weighing him down.
I was very happy to get an arc copy of this book because Kumagai's previous release Catfish Rolling is one of my best ever reads. I was a little disappointed that this story, to my mind, didn't live up to that. The pacing wasn't as good and the early chapters of the book I felt were sluggish. It is only when Adam gets to Japan that things really start to come together and I loved the details of his explorations and impression of Nagasaki.
This is a story of complex family dynamics both now and over the centuries. The shocking behaviour of some Americans a hundred years ago and the intense family pressures of current Japanese families spill over into this story. These matters are overlaid with supernatural and spiritual elements from belief and folklore that override race, culture and emotions.
The character of Adam I thought was the weakest part of this story. He has many issues and doesn't deal with them well. I found he was the character I bonded least well with and given he is the main character...
All in all, and interesting read, especially for someone who has lived in Japan. With thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

Japanese-American teenager Adam discovers a diary in his attic and becomes captivated by the story of a young Japanese woman. Separated by 100 years, their lives share some similarities and Adam begins trying to solve the mystery of the diary.

This was a great read! I became really attached to the characters and intrigued by the complex relationship dynamics between them. They felt real and relateable and I wanted to solve the mystery for them too. It was quite an emotional read about love and sorrow that spanned across 100 years and multiple generations, and I liked what the diary entries brought to the story: it connected me with the diary authors story and really highlighted the similarities around culture, heartbreak and identity, between her life and Adam's.

It was a well-paced story with a mystery that kept me totally hooked and characters I cared for (even if Adam's actions were infuriating at times!) I enjoyed the supernatural element and how much Japanese culture and history was interwoven into the story. I could really see the author's inspiration from Madame Butterfly throughout the book, and I enjoyed her take on it.

Overall, a good read filled with complex relationships and mystery, and so much more. I'd recommend it, especially if you enjoyed Madame Butterfly.

This was such a wonderful read. It’s outside of my usual genres so I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy it. While it started a little slow I really was completely hooked by the end.

I found this to be an emotional read and I felt so attached to the characters and their struggles. There’s so much character growth and this book is full of the kinds of betrayal, tradgedy and love that both bruise and warm the heart and I had goosebumps by the end.

Fate and coincidence play huge roles and there are so many parallels between characters with repeating mistakes and friendships across generations, cultures and history.

There are many complex relationship dynamics across the friendships, romances, families and aquaintances we meet too. Plus, the characters are diverse including a mixed race (Japanese and American) MMC from the LGBTQ community. The challenges characters face based on their different cultures, journeys of discovery and emotions they feel because of them are surprisingly relatable.

The plot had great pacing and is filled with mystery and of course the supernatural which all add an extra layer to helping make this story so special. I loved the use of a diary and I felt genuine heartbreak for the strong, kind, intelligent writer of the entries.

songs for ghosts is a heartwarming story of love, grief and an exploration of the past. i really enjoyed learning about japanese culture, especially the topic of what happens after you die which was new to me. i also really liked reading the diary passages and the difference between japanese and american culture back then, i often found myself sympathising with the diary owner a lot as her story was very emotional. also the discussion of being openly gay in japan vs america was also interesting. however, i found it hard to really connect and stay interested in the story when it was from adam’s pov. i felt him to be quite annoying in some instances especially with the way he’d interact with some of the characters. especially evan, the dismissal of his weird, pushy behaviour had me feeling pretty annoyed and i wish his actions were met with consequences rather then being brushed aside.
thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

I didn't know what to expect from this book as I was immediately drawn to it by the front cover and went in reasonably blind, and WOW this book is stunning from the writing to the story line everything is perfect