Review by Booklist Review
Best known for his brainy death-and-destruction mystery series featuring Detective Galileo and Detective Kaga, who have successfully arrived Stateside from Japan, Higashino reveals a softer side to his prolific imagination here. The Namiya General Store has been closed for decades, but three delinquent young men break in seeking shelter. They might be tired and hungry, but they're not dreaming when they discover that the store's mail slot continues to clink with epistolary deliveries. What they'll deduce from reading a 40-year-old magazine is that this was The General Store That Answers Your Woes : back in the day, strangers seeking advice dropped missives in the front and picked up thoughtful replies the next morning in the milk crate out back. Miraculously, new letters arrive overnight, impelling the delinquents to answer. An Olympic hopeful, a struggling musician, the store owner and his son, a teenage runaway, and an ambitious orphan will all somehow be interconnected and instrumental in changing lives past and present, saving lost souls, and even rescuing themselves. This international best-seller smoothly anglophoned by award-winning Bett is quite the timely charmer.--Terry Hong Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Higashino (Newcomer), a bestseller in his native Japan, departs from his normal thrillers to deliver a sparkling tale about opening up to others' troubles. Shota, Atsuya, and Kohei are looking for a place to lay low after committing a robbery and end up in the abandoned Namiya General Store. While they are hunkered down, a letter slides through the store's mail slot--an unnamed woman is asking advice about if she should dedicated herself to pursuing her Olympic dream or stay with the dying man she loves. Through reading the letters, they learn that Mr. Namiya, the former shopkeeper, had devoted his time to answering the mail of anyone in need of advice. Over the course of a single night, the three robbers read letters other people had sent and see their own views on humanity change. In one story, a man dreams of making it in the music world, but when he finds out that his father is sick, he must decide between pursuing his dreams and taking over his father's shop (and sends a letter to Namiya for advice). In another letter and narrative thread, Takayuki Namiya is shocked to discover his father is healing from his own grief by giving advice to random people, but finally, in his father's last days, he comes to understand the impact of the letters--both on his father and on those who solicited his advice. Those used to Higashiro's more high-octane plots will discover a new side to the author in this satisfying outing. (Sept.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A fantasy novel tells the story of three thieves who inadvertently become advice purveyors after seeking shelter in an abandoned store.When their car breaks down unexpectedly, three young criminals decide to hide out in a convenience store that has long been out of business. Atsuya, Kohei, and Shota are planning to lie low for a whileat least for the nightbut before they can even settle in, an envelope slides through the store's mail slot. They are immediately suspicious. Who would deliver a missive to a store that hasn't been open in decades? The letter is from an athlete looking for advice: Should she forgo her Olympic training to take care of her dying boyfriend or push forward to pursue her dream? "As I was struggling on my own with these thoughts, I heard some rumors going around about the Namiya General Store," she writes. "I know my chances are slim, but I'm writing on the off chance that you might be able to help me figure things out." The guys discover that the storewhen it was in operationhad a reputation for being a place to have questions answered. Kohei, out of boredom, answers the letter and drops it in the mail bin. Almost immediately, he gets a response. The correspondence continues, though the trio can't tell where the letters are coming fromother than that they seem to be from 30 years in the past. The novel is a bit of a Russian doll, with one layer of narrative opening to reveal the next. Higashino's (The Name of the Game Is a Kidnapping, 2017, etc.) proseas translated from the Japanese by Bett (Star, 2019, etc.)is muscular and concise: "Exiting the station and heading down the street of shops, Kosuke Waku felt an unsettling feeling creep across his chest. He was right. Just as he'd feared, hard times hadn't spared this town." More than a time travel mystery, the story is a rather earnest tale of human decision-making, and the author is adept at drawing an emotional response from readers. Inventive and always surprising, this book is easy to get drawn into and difficult to put down.An endearing tale about a magical correspondence. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
