Calling You by Otsuichi

Genre: Short Stories/Japanese Fiction

Date of Publication: May 31, 2001

Memorable Quotation: “Hello?” “Please don’t hang up. I swear this isn’t a prank call…” For some reason, the idea of a prank call on an imaginary phone amused me.” (pg.20)

If you liked these, you’ll like this: Twentieth Century Ghosts by Joe Hill.

Lasting Impression: The three stories story in this wonderful collection are touching in their own way; each exploring the power of human relationships and what it means to feel love in its purest form.

Storyline: A+

Pace: A

Characters: A

Ending: A

Overall: A

Unlike Otsuichi’s other short story collections that include more gruesome, graphic detail, the three stories in Calling You are more lighthearted, although death is a reoccurring theme in them too. When you think about the title of this collection (which is also the title of the 1^st short story), I not only think of Celine Dion’s Song “Calling You” but also the image and emotions I feel.  I can imagine someone calling  to a lover or a friend either in happiness or in shock, the syllables of the name never sounding like poetry until that moment, and to have a title make me emotionally invested into the book before reading it is pretty good reason to think this will be a home run.

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The first short story is Calling You, which was my favorite one.  Ryo is a quiet girl who is so lonely that she creates a cell phone in her mind, wishing she had friends to call. After a while, she can see the phone clearly in her mind, as if it is real.  One day, she hears a phone ringing, and it turns out it is her imaginary one.  The caller is a boy around her age, Shinya, who doesn’t have any friends and made an imaginary phone too. 

The way they find each other and help each other cope in a world that initially rejected them is beautiful, and although the ending is heartbreaking, the twists that come out of such a short story is incredible.

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The second short story is Kiz/Kids.  The narrator, who we never learn the name of, belongs to the “special” class in school because of violent outbursts and while there, he meets a boy names Asato who has a very special gift; he takes scars, bruises, burns, and injuries from people and puts them on his so they won’t feel pain.  He is used for his gift, unfortunately, and it nearly kills him. As this happens, the young narrator gets a first hand look at why it is rare that the pure do not stay that way forever.

At first I thought it was just a “cute” story but as the characters develop and back stories come to light, I realized this was a much deeper, more painful, plot than I had first realized. I was very impressed with the story overall, especially with the ending, and how the two boys learned that with love comes sacrifice and with sacrifice comes a bond that is unbreakable.

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The final story is called The Flower Song.  The story centers around a man who was in a horrible train accident (which is only mentioned) and how he is in a hospital, recovering from emotional scarring from losing his lover in the crash.  As he wanders the hospital grounds, he comes across a clearing and sees a giant tree has fallen. Underneath it is a flower that appears to be humming.  The rest of the story centers around the narrator and his relationship to the flower.  What the narrator learns about family and reincarnation is extremely profound, and the imagery Otsuichi gives the reader when it came to the flower is amazing.

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All of Otsuichi’s stories in this collection are based around family, love, and the pain that comes when we open our hearts to love.  What makes his stories so exceptional is that he takes the pain that love can bring and transforms it into personal growth through his characters.

~Shelly-Beans

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Genre: Inspirational/Non Fiction

Date of Publication: 1997 (No specific date could be found.)

Memorable Quotation: “I don’t want to leave the world in a state of fright. I want to know what’s happening, accept it, get to a peaceful place, and let go. Do you understand?”  I nodded. Don’t let go yet, I added quickly.  Morrie forced a smile. “No. Not yet. We still have work to do.” (pg. 107)

If you liked these, you’ll like this: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Lasting Impression: Flavia Weedn once said, “The world knows little of it’s greatest heroes,” and in the case of Mitch Albom’s college professor/friend Morrie Schwartz, that’s exactly what he is: a hero; a man with a message about life, love, and death that should be required reading to fully understand the human experience.

Subject: A+

Delivery: A+

Pace: A+

Ending: A+

Overall: A+

NOTE:  I just realized this is the first Non-Fiction book I will be reviewing! (I’m not talking about a guide or a collection of work; I mean a true story.)  SO, my rating system will be different.  Here are the explanations for the two new rating criteria:

Subject: Was the person or event the book is about interesting?

Delivery: Was it written in a conversational tone? Was the author/subject relatable?

Thank you and enjoy the review!

If everyone could be so lucky to have such a beautiful memoir written about them, the world may be a different place.  Fortunately, Best-Selling Author/Sports Journalist Mitch Albom was able to record the legacy of Morrie, a man who continues to inspire hope even after his death.  Morrie was diagnosed with ALS in his late seventies and through his strong spirit and high hopes against the merciless disease, Mitch wind up learning about Morrie’s condition and began visiting every Tuesday; where the two talked about some of life’s most important subjects, including marriage, emotions, death, etc.

I have always been a fan of Mitch Albom but this book made me love him and his work even more because on every page, I could feel the love and admiration he had for his old professor; describing Morrie in such a way that everyone feels they had known him as long as Albom did. 

The more I read about Morrie, the more I wished I could have hugged him, thanked him for such inspirational words, told him that I wanted to be a better person because of him.  

I can almost guarantee that I will read this book again and again; when I need my faith restored in humanity or just a little hope about life, and when that time comes, Morrie will come back to life for a little longer and he will repeat to Mitch, to me, the lessons that will help us create better tomorrow for ourselves.

~Shelly-Beans