{"product_id":"9781787302778-minas-matchbox","title":"Mina's Matchbox","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOn sleepless nights, I open the matchbox and reread the story of the girl who gathered shooting stars.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter the death of her father, twelve-year-old Tomoko is sent to live for a year with her uncle in the coastal town of Ashiya. It is a year which will change her life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe 1970s are bringing changes to Japan and her uncle's magnificent colonial mansion opens up a new and unfamiliar world for Tomoko; its sprawling gardens are even home to a pygmy hippo the family keeps as a pet. Tomoko finds her relatives equally exotic and beguiling and her growing friendship with her cousin Mina draws her into an intoxicating world full of secret crushes and elaborate storytelling.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRich with the magic and mystery of youth, \u003ci\u003eMina’s Matchbox \u003c\/i\u003eis an evocative snapshot of a moment frozen in time, and a striking depiction of a family on the edge of collapse.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eMina's Matchbox \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'I read \u003ci\u003eMina’s Matchbox\u003c\/i\u003e like a besotted child, enraptured, never wanting it to end.' \u003cb\u003eRUTH OZEKI, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Book of Form and Emptiness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003cb\u003eDreamy and whimsical,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eMina’s Matchbox\u003c\/i\u003e traffics in the themes at which Ogawa always excels: memory, identity, and nostalgia' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEsquire, \u003c\/i\u003eBest Books of the Summer \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A conspicuously gifted writer. To read Ogawa is to enter a dreamlike state. She possesses an effortless, glassy, eerie brilliance' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Evokes the secret crushes and crushing secrets of girlhood with charm and elegance’ \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Immersive and poignant. filled with wonder’ \u003cb\u003eBookpage\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Beguiling' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e, Best Books of 2024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003eThe world Yoko Ogawa builds is quiet, warm and it should feel comforting. But there are peculiarities about the whole thing that keep you on the tips of your toes' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNPR, \u003c\/i\u003eBest Books of 2024 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReader Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘I was\u003cb\u003e totally swept away\u003c\/b\u003e by it.’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘It's a beautiful coming of age story.\u003cb\u003e I'd recommend it to any lovers of translated fiction!\u003c\/b\u003e’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003cb\u003eUplifting\u003c\/b\u003e. And Pochiko, the pygmy hippo? A wonder.’\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘\u003cb\u003eA beautiful coming of age story\u003c\/b\u003e’\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55563287429494,"sku":"9781787302778","price":11.52,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_32344394.jpg?v=1745816094","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781787302778-minas-matchbox","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}