Audiobook

Published Jan. 16, 2025 by Transworld.

(3 reviews)

A woman inherits a pawnshop where you can sell your regrets, and then embarks on a magical journey when a charming young physicist wanders into the shop, in this dreamlike and enchanting fantasy novel.

On a backstreet in Tokyo lies a pawnshop, but not everyone can find it. Most will see a cozy ramen restaurant. And only the chosen ones—those who are lost—will find a place to pawn their life choices and deepest regrets.

Hana Ishikawa wakes on her first morning as the pawnshop’s new owner to find it ransacked, the shop’s most precious acquisition stolen, and her father missing. And then into the shop stumbles a charming stranger, quite unlike its other customers, for he offers help instead of seeking it.

Together, they must journey through a mystical world to find Hana’s father and the stolen choice—by way of rain puddles, rides on paper cranes, the bridge between midnight …

5 editions

Engrossing and imaginative story, annoying portrayal of a physicist

Although I know physicists and our like can be insufferable when approaching another field, I do wish writers would let go of this tired trope of the anti-curious "scientist" who always works on the big name projects and has a mental breakdown if the textbooks are wrong. For heavens sake most of us are nerds that read science fiction and fantasy for fun, and even those that don't are immersed in a culture defined by genre fiction. Any physicist I know would just be fascinated by a magical world that doesn't match "real" world observations.

All that being said, the story told by the book was sweet and entertaining. Yambao's imaginative world of ideas and imagination is compelling and satisfyingly strange. The twists and turns of the story keep the action moving, although a few of the stops felt like they were there just for the neat idea. I was …

Too Melodramatic

Watermoon feels like a Miyazaki movie with the settings and characters. It does magical realizism well but the characters are a bit flat and a good amount of story+characters are too melodramatic for me. Style was great but under a more talented writer I think this book could have had a lot more potential.

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  • English literature

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