This book is a great example of the slice of life genre. It's got fantastical elements to it, but at it's core it's about the day to day moments that make life so important. A touching read, if you're looking for something a little sad but ultimately a joyful celebration of life then this is for you.

4.5 Stars

A lovely story of a magical place, a photo studio where those people who are technically no longer living, but are temporarily waiting for the opportunity to revisit some of the more meaningful moments of their life.

When they arrive, they are given a box of photographs of their life over the years, and may choose one photo for every year that they lived. Before they leave to go to the what follows, the photos are shared with them through a lantern where they are able to revisit these moments of their lives.

Each of their stories are very different, as are the characters, but I found this to be, at times, a touching and uplifting story that might leave you revisiting some of the moments in your life.


Pub Date: 17 Sep 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Grand Central Publishing

If you are looking for a change of pace in your reading routine, a book that can make you look at your life in a different way, The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi may be the right pick for you. It's a short book (224 pages), lovingly translated from the Japanese, which imagines an outpost for the newly deceased where the host (also dead) asks you to put together a collection of your own photos--one for each year of your life--that will be combined in a lantern that ushers you into the afterworld. But that's not all. You also have the opportunity to visit one day, one place, that was special, to experience it again--this time as an invisible observer.

Once the premise is explained by the host, we spend some time with three people who confront their mortality in wildly varying ways. One is a 92-year-old nursery school teacher who succumbed to a disease in her old age. Another is a 47-year-old yakuza who was stabbed in the back by someone who didn't like the way he lived. The third is a little girl who was brutally mistreated by her violent stepfather and her negligent mother. And then there is the host, who can't remember any of his past or why he died. He's hoping one of the people he meets will recognize him and thereby restore his lost memories. This is such a deceptively simple, beautiful book that provides a window into what makes these three travelers special and how they are connected, and allows us new insights into how we will be remembered, and what is worth remembering. The ending is unexpected and deeply satisfying. I loved it

My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

This book was warm and cozy, in such a sad and humbling way. I found the prose of the book to flow beautifully and provide such rich feelings throughout the narrative. I loved each of the characters and there was something so raw and humbling about experiencing with them moments of their lives. I think, in some ways, it prompts you to think about what you would reflect on in that moment. I really enjoyed this read. I cozied up with a cup of coffee and a warm blanket on a rainy day and it felt like such a vibe.

Absolutely fascinating and quite unique premise! I love a good book that is different from the usual tropes and this one fits the bill perfectly. I read it in one sitting, it was that good, and kept me turning the pages. I loved the characters as well as the mystery of Mr. Hirasaki and why his own memories are missing (mystery solved by the end, and I'm not telling!). The story and the characters really made me think about my life and my own memories. I am still wondering what photo I would choose from each year of my life!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is wonderful. Sanaka Hiigari and Jesse Kirkwood work together in this translation to create a wonderful story. The writing is poetic and transports you right into the world of our characters and brings about the everyday beauty of life and the people around us. This story is about life and seeing the good in it and remembering the good in it. It is such a beautiful story and I highly recommend it.

The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi is magical novel about a photo studio where people stop on their way to the afterlife. It’s a clever metaphor for your life flashing before your eyes when you die. People are given a box of photos, one for each day of their life, and they pick one photo for each year. The photos are placed into a lantern to view before they move on. They are able to travel to one day of their life and retake a photo which leads to a more detailed story from their life. Hirasaki is the caretaker of the studio, he assists people on their journey. The stories are heartwarming and not at all what I was expecting. This is a fresh take on the afterlife.

I would recommend this book for all readers. It has a profound message that allows you to reflect on your daily life and imagine how your own box of photos would be. As a photographer, I can truly appreciate the photo project of a a daily photo and revisiting the moments through this medium. This is a quick read, I truly wish there were more stories in the book.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.