The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida

By: Clarissa Goenawan

Narrated by: Cindy Kay, David Shih

From the critically acclaimed author of Rainbirds comes a novel of tragedy and dark histories set in Japan.

University sophomore Miwako Sumida has hanged herself, leaving those closest to her reeling. In the months before her suicide, she was hiding away in a remote mountainside village, but what, or whom, was she running from?

To Ryusei, a fellow student at Waseda; Chie, Miwako's best friend; and Fumi, Ryusei's older sister, Miwako was more than the blunt, no-nonsense person she projected to the world. Heartbroken, Ryusei begs Chie to take him to the village where Miwako spent her final days. While he is away, Fumi receives an unexpected guest at their shared apartment in Tokyo, distracting her from her fear that Miwako's death may ruin what is left of her brother's life.

Expanding on the beautifully crafted world of Rainbirds, Clarissa Goenawan gradually pierces through a young woman's careful facade, unmasking her most painful secrets.

©2020 Clarissa Goenawan (P)2020 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Didn’t hold my interest, though well done.

I quit this book after three hours.
While the story is good, and the characters sweet, the mystery wasn’t enticing enough to me, and the characters not compelling.
If I were a young Japanese person, I might find this book fabulous. If I taught younger people, I might also find it interesting.
if I had a particular affinity for Japanese culture, I would’ve found it more captivating.

It’s possible that at this stage of my life, a well-seasoned adult, I seek things with multi-dimensional, complex characters.
These young people have depth, they just don’t have decades of experience.