I haven’t written a full book review in a long time because it felt much easier/quicker to just pop over to Instagram for a post. However, I’m going to try to be more active over here with books that I truly feel deserve some extra love.

I had just bailed on two books that didn’t feel like the right fit for me when I opened this one up. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon, by Mizuki Tsujimura (translated by Yuki Tejima), was exactly what I was looking for! This fantasy novel has a gorgeous story to get lost in, special and memorable characters, and a magical realism spin that I can’t stop thinking about. If you had the chance to meet with one person who has passed for one night (under a full moon), who would you choose? The dead person has to agree to meet with you, and you each only get one person to meet with while you’re alive and one once you’ve passed. You don’t want to select a person too early, and miss the chance to meet with future people, so your selection has to be well thought out.

Each section of the novel follows a fascinating character as they decide to meet with a special person who has passed on. Will the deceased agree to meet with them? And what will take place during their meeting in a mysterious hotel room where these two worlds are allowed to come together for one night? Lost Souls focuses on the many layers of grief and what we can learn from those who are no longer with us.

This novel came out in 2010 in Japan but was just translated for English readers, and I’m so grateful it was. It opened up my imagination and made me feel just a bit more connected to people I’m missing in my own life. Can’t recommend this one enough!

5 stars

*Free copy provided by Scribner in exchange for an honest review*