““An evocative and wonderfully earnest slice of life . . . This is a writer who pays close attention to the sensations of living, who knows how to put you not just in the mind of the character but the body too. Reading Nao-Cola Yamazaki is like experiencing the world anew.” —Katie Yee, author of Maggie; or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar
“A spare, affecting examination of the intimate stages of an awkward, troubled relationship.” —Booklist
“Told with wry distance, this story makes an age-old tale feel new, with a narrator so afraid of emotional vulnerability that he is completely undone by the force of his own feelings. Funny, surprising, and hopeful, this novella is a poignant encapsulation of a complicated first love.” —Lillian Li, Women’s Prize-longlisted author of Number One Chinese Restaurant
“Writers often feel pressure to write something that encapsulates the world. To write something that stings us with these huge truths through complicated plot lines and narrative devices. But writing like Yamazaki’s proves that you can encapsulate the world in much smaller ways: maybe through two people attempting to find love, to find themselves through others. Or maybe through two people who have already found love and must prematurely grieve the other’s impending absence. Somehow, magically, wonderfully, Yamazaki is able to conjure entire universes dwelling in the space between two people . . . With softness, with care, Yamazaki breaks us and reforms us into better people, better readers through their creations.” —Full Stop Review
“First love is perfectly imperfect, and Yamazaki renders it here with all the charm and respect that it deserves. This is for anyone who has ever loved another, from near or far—a story full of nostalgia and beauty and hope.” —Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP Lit
