Summer Ghost

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"I knew it had only been a dream, and that it wasn't the real Ayane who'd said this to me — just a figment of my imagination. But even so, I assumed my subconscious showed me that dream for a reason. Perhaps it was because somewhere deep down, I really did want to go on living, and so my brain conjured that facsimile of her to beg me not to end it all using her face, and her voice. Either that, or it really was a message from the real Ayane, who came back to visit me from beyond the grave to thank me for ... all that I'd done for her."

"Summer Ghost" by Otsuichi (Hirotaka Adachi) is an amazing novel exploring the themes of death and life. The story is told from the perspective of Tomoya Sugisaki, a high school student interested in a local legend about the Summer Ghost — the ghost of a woman, rumoured to have taken her own life. That and one other thing connects Tomoya with Aoi Harukawa and Ryo Kobayashi — the desire for death. Three high school students, each with different problems urging them to kill themselves get together and share an amount of experiences that might just change their fate. The novel portrays the idea of how being useful for someone can bring you joy, and a reason for living. And that one person's words and care can make a huge impact on your choices. This novel is very beautifully written and it shows all of the characters' personalities perfectly through their words. How Tomoya often makes connections to a lot of different cultures, how Aoi often doesn't know what it's like socializing and lacks self-confidence, how Ryo often gets physically exhausted. All of their struggles are shown. But the spark of a brighter future is also in sight. This is a really deep work... I absolutely recommend it!!