The Library of Heartbeats - Laura Imai Messina - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Laura Imai Messina

NARRATOR: Kenichiro Thomson

TRANSLATOR: Lucy Rand

GENRE: Japanese Literary Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: January 4, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A slowburn and heartwarming literary fiction about two lonely souls who find solace in each other. (No, this isn’t a romance.) Evocative writing, realistic characters. Grief and hope intertwined. Wanted more of the titular library, but the rest was beautiful. This is a mood read. Better if actually read than on audio.

Plot Preview:

Off the west coast of Japan on the serene island of Teshima is a small library, where the heartbeats of thousands of people from all over the world have been collected. Whether now living or dead, their heartbeats continue to thrum in this quaint library.

In the distant city of Kakamura, there are two persons in very different circumstances but equally lonely. Forty-year-old Shuichi, who has just lost his mother, has returned to his childhood home to clear her house. Eight-year-old Kenta, stuck with separated parents who have no time for him, keeps hovering around Shuichi’s mother’s house. As the two discover each other’s presence, their daily interactions create a bond between the man and the boy. But what have these two people got to do with the library of heartbeats? Read and find out.

The story comes to us mostly in the third-person perspectives of Shuichi and Kenta.

I am not a big fan of Japanese literature. Whatever I have read so far by Japanese authors has not clicked much with me. However, I do surprisingly well when outsiders write books based in Japan. The setting and the social mores are utilised so beautifully by these ‘gaijin’ that it results in deeply poignant stories without the usual constraints (at least in my eyes) of Japanese writing. This book is one of them.

Author Laura Imai Messina is an Italian who has lived in Tokyo ever since she was twenty-three. This book, like all her other works, was originally written in Italian. "L'isola Dei Battiti Del Cuore" (2022) has now been translated to English by her regular collaborator, translator Lucy Rand. I found this book a well-written literary narrative that offers a touching ode to Japanese culture and beliefs.

A character-oriented literary fiction needs well-defined characters, and the two main characters fit the bill perfectly. While there are some women characters in the story as well, it is primarily focussed on the two males. With the large age gap between the two, it is easy to see them in a pseudo parent-child bond. But as they are unrelated, this bond fluidly shifts into a sibling bond or a neighbourly bond or a friendship bond, as per the need of their emotions. I love how the author (along with the translator) was able to capture Shuichi’s and Kenta’s emotions in a genuine manner.

Both Shuichi and Kenta have grief in their past. But the true extent of their heartbreaks, the depth of their familial struggles, and their desperate attempts at overcoming sorrow and loneliness aren’t dumped on us at a go. The story unveils its lead characters’ backstories gradually, so there are many surprises and revelations along the way that help us understand the characters and their emotions even better.

Through this layered pattern of storytelling, the book covers many tricky themes. I won't reveal more beyond what I have said above as these would be major spoilers. But suffice it to say, don’t pick up this book when you are feeling low or maudlin. Of course, there is a lot of hope, love, understanding, resilience, and joy in the story as well. But the dominant tone is somewhat melancholic, so read it only when you are in a strong headspace.

The story is much more than just about the man and the boy connecting over their shared sadness. We see some realistic connections across characters in varied relationships, we see the impact of the past on the present, and we see the role guilt plays in hindering happiness. Shuichi’s connection with his mother is also strongly felt on the pages, even though she is no longer alive when the book begins.

Thanks to the various characters’ interactions, we see several interesting details about how Japanese kanji are formed. I appreciate how the book included the Japanese characters also so that we could actually see the kanji. But my favourite add-on was the part detailing the sound of the heartbeat in various languages – this was such a treat! In fact, the whole book has several interesting titbits about hearts and heartbeats – all amazing facts that trivia lovers will relish.

The titular “Heartbeat Library” felt like such a fabulous but fantastical idea. Imagine a place that records the heartbeats of visitors for perpetuity! As much as I loved learning about this unusual library on Teshima Island, I was even more impressed that the place is not fictional but real. However, unlike what the title indicates, the library is more like a background to the events of the book than the focal point, It is hardly present until the 30%, and even then, it pops up only sporadically. This doesn’t take away anything from the story because patience does show us the importance of the library in the plot. But if you wanted the library to be the main setting of the story, you might need to readjust your expectations.

The writing is truly beautiful. There are so many thought-provoking quotes that made me pause and ponder. The narrative gets a tad abstract and philosophical at times, but the overall feel is still very grounded. While the timeline is linear, there are several interludes from other characters and other time points. These might at times seem unrelated to the main plot but they all connect neatly later in the story. After I finished the book the second time, I went through the interludes again.

Did you notice that I said ‘the second time’? More on this in the next section.

🎧 The Audiobook Experience:

The audiobook, clocking at almost 7 hours, is narrated by Kenichiro Thomson. I found it a bit tough to adapt to his inflections at first, but after about 20%, I was able to focus on his reading comfortably. I heard the book at twice my usual tempo because his narration was quite slow. He had the odd pauses typical of Japanese speech patterns, and while this gave an added genuineness to the narration, it also distracted me at times. Plus, he didn’t go out of his way to voice characters distinctly. To top it all, the story isn’t exactly linear. So I believe the audiobook will be a good option only to the most avid of listeners.

While I am quite used to audiobooks by now, I somehow felt like I would have liked this book better had I read it. Luckily, I had access to the digital copy as well. So after I completed the audio version, I dug out my digital ARC and speed-read through the entire book again (Should I count the book twice in my reading challenge, I wonder?!), slowing down only at times to reread some scenes that had befuddled me in the audio version. I appreciated the story even more through this method and actually noticed how well the author’s writing reflected emotions and descriptions. There are several subtleties in the timelines that had made no sense in the audio version. Plus, the kanji is better if visible. My rating after listening to the audio was 3.25 stars. But after reading the book, it shot upwards!

All in all, while I did hope for a story more focussed on a heartbeat library, I still like the plot for what it is. Its character-focussed narrative ensures that we end up rooting for Shuichi as well as Kenta, individually and jointly. The themes, the writing, the plot development and the library itself all makes this a soul-satisfying read when you are in the right headspace.

Definitely recommended. This book has a strong Japanese flavour, but it is not as abstract and meandering as many contemporary Japanese novels are. It is thus a great way of trying Japanese fiction without trying *Japanese* fiction. 😉

Pro Tip: Read the prologue again once you are done with the book. The first time around, it's just curious. The second time, with the advantage of hindsight knowledge, it feels bittersweet.

My thanks to Bonnier Books UK for providing the DRC, and to Recorded Books for the ALC of “The Library of Heartbeats” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.