This book is roughly divided into two parts. The first is the story of a father and son who, for some reason, travel from place to place, who arrive in the hometown of their late mother and gradually become accustomed to the place. Written from the perspective of the daughter, Lou, as she grows up she experiences bullying and love, and also begins to question the past of her father Holly, who is somewhat mysterious even to his own daughter, and her deceased mother. The other part is the story of how Holly, the father with gunshot scars all over his body and who seems to have a past that he cannot tell anyone about, came to be shot. This part is told from Holly's perspective, and describes Holly's past and how she met Lou's mother Lily.

 

Collapsed glaciers, rough seas, seemingly calm lakes, gigantic creatures looming nearby... The nature depicted in this book is too big and too powerful for humans to handle. It's like fate itself, toying with father and son. But neither father nor daughter can just be toyed with. Holly somehow tries to resist the things that are trying to sweep him away. What he is trying to give to his only remaining daughter is the skill to fight fate on her own. He teaches his daughter how to shoot a gun. A gun is a fair weapon. It gives you the power to face opponents that are stronger than you. Lou takes his teachings correctly. Although she is a child, she is not just someone to be protected. She is a human being who can fight for herself.

 

The exchange of words between the two at the end of the story is symbolic. And the story ends at exactly the right moment. Even when you don't know what's going to happen in the next moment, the important thing is not to simply submit to fate. It's to resist. It's to fight. That's what the final scene proclaims.

 

 

 

I grew up in Tohoku and moved to Osaka. I've lived there for quite a long time, but I can't speak the Kansai dialect. I've loved foreign literature since I was a child. I'm best at Japanese, English, Spanish, and French, in that order, but I'm not good at speaking any of them. Besides books, I also love movies, and I've made original covers for UMEDA TSUTAYA BOOKS for movie originals, and held a panel exhibition for "Parasite" and sold Korean literature. I would love to collaborate with any other movies I find interesting in the future. "The Three Braids," "Central Station," "Summer Outside," "Bel Canto," "Hidden Scream"...I've written reviews for many wonderful books so far. I'm going to continue to boldly ask, "Can I write reviews?" What I'm interested in now is the reprinting of out-of-print books. There are so many books I want to see resurrected, such as "Leaving Las Vegas" and "To the Friend Who Didn't Save My Life." I also love mysteries.

 

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