Natsuko Imamura

Growing up without love in Japan. Japan, where it seems that all generations after the atomic bomb have lost their way,
Identity has degenerated into a steady performance at school or at work, with the result that human relationships are only experienced and maintained artificially.

We see Amiko jumping around through the years, with an attitude of, "nobody can touch me", and "I do what I want".
Admittedly, when she hurts her mother to the depths of her soul, she is actually trapped by her own naivety, but can you blame her for that? She is still so young, and has shaped the words she heard from her brother and mother in her own way. With misery and sorrow as a result.

Amiko is not even that old when she is dumped at her grandmother's by her father, and she tells what she remembers from the past years. Does Amiko understand herself? Does Amiko face the reality that she is simply very often selfish and actually does not care about anyone at all?

Amiko's childhood: let's hope the reader realizes that his childhood wasn't as bad as Amiko's.
And where Amiko cries "This is Amiko, do you hear me?" the reader ultimately asks "What the hell am I supposed to do with Amiko?"… (altro)

For such a short book, it is very powerful.

This novella’s premise is quite simple: Amiko is narrating memories of her childhood to a little girl.
Amiko is a spirited, quirky child who causes her mother much trouble. She blurts things out, sneaks into places, eats with her hands, and doesn’t comprehend why people find that weird and tell her off, but she takes it all very stoically, almost as if she really doesn’t get any of it. Progressively it appears that is indeed the case. She shares moments of family life, and her innocent crush on Nori, which has had a lasting impact on her.
Around her birthday, things start to change. She is gifted a walkie talkie which she practices speaking with, her mum is pregnant. The family goes through a lot of adversity and things will never be the same.

There are cute comedic moments that reminded me of Ghibli children, the film “The Taste of Tea” or even the first part of “Amelie”. However there are also very dark ones, poignantly portraying the traumatic impact of neglect and bullying on a neurodivergent child, and sheds light on the complexities of relationships with family members.
The narration is fresh and brings something unique because it is a very realistic, candid, and relatable representation of a neurodivergent childhood without being cliché or relying on stereotypes.

I think this book is important. It prompts readers to reflect on their biases and the importance of recognising the human validity of people/children like Amiko, and for neurodivergent people, it is a very moving read where we feel seen. Stories featuring neurodivergent children are often told “about” them, things are told “at” them but in this book, Amiko is candidly telling her story in her words, she wants to connect, and this is echoed in the book’s title.

I honestly did not expect it to affect me as much as it did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (altro)