Respite reads: five of our favourite healing fiction books
Take a breath with these restorative reads, recommended by us and fellow fans of the genre.
At a time when everything feels increasingly chaotic and overwhelming, more and more readers are finding solace in what's known as healing fiction. A subgenre with roots in Japan and Korea – it's no coincidence that all our recommended reads are translated from Japanese – these gentle, contemplative books offer a chance to slow down and reflect. Following regular people facing everyday difficulties (heartbreak, loss, regret), but with a magical or speculative element to the setting or framing of their narratives which lifts them out of the ordinary, healing fiction is escapist yet also grounding; deeply moving, but never traumatic. Here are five brilliant books or series to get you started.
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
‘. . .the way it approaches topics like loss is so gentle, so quiet, and so unassuming [. . .] I felt safe within the pages.’
@sivanreads on Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Before the Coffee Gets Cold
by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Translated by Geoffrey Trousselot
First published in the UK in 2019, this million-copy bestseller is now a whole series with four further books to lose yourself in. In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a café which has been serving carefully brewed coffee for more than one hundred years. But this coffee shop offers its customers a unique experience: the chance to travel back in time. This opportunity is not without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold. Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s beautiful novel has stolen the hearts of readers the world over with its gentle exploration of the age-old question: what would you change if you could travel back in time?
@sivanreads Before your memory fades - Toshikazu Kawaguchi #booktok #sivanreads #soobinfirst #AD ♬ original sound - Sîvan
The Cat Who Saved Books
by Sosuke Natsukawa
Translated by Louise Heal Kawai
This international bestseller is a heart-warming story about finding courage, caring for others, and the tremendous power of books (even short ones). After the death of his grandfather, Rintaro is devastated. It seems he will have to close Natsuki Books, the tiny second-hand bookshop his grandfather owned which has long been Rintaro's safe haven. Then, a talking tabby cat called Tiger appears and asks Rintaro for help. The cat needs a book lover to join him on a mission. Together, they embark on three magical adventures to save books from people who have imprisoned, mistreated and betrayed them. Tiger returns in The Cat Who Saved the Library.
‘The relaxed nature of the story and the really heartfelt memories of the people involved just made it really compelling.’
@tom_reads_again on The Kamogawa Food Detectives
The Kamogawa Food Detectives
by Hisashi Kashiwai
Translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Nestled in a quiet backstreet of Kyoto, the Kamogawa Diner, managed by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, offers more than just extravagant meals. They've gained fame as 'food detectives,' able to recreate lost dishes from customers' memories linked to key moments and emotions. From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook, to a first love's beef stew, the Kamogawa Diner provides a link to the past – and a way to a more contented future. Existing fans should take a look at the two follow-ups: The Restaurant of Lost Recipes and The Menu of Happiness.
@tom_reads_again Thank you to @Pan Macmillan for letting me access The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai on Netgalley. This a wonderfully cosy short book you'll likely be able sit down and enjoy in only one or two sittings. #booktok #bookish #bookworm #bookrecommendations #netgalley #panmacmillan ♬ Aesthetic - Gaspar
The Lantern of Lost Memories
by Sanaka Hiiragi
Translated by Jesse Kirkwood
Waking up in a cosy studio, with a steaming cup of hot tea waiting for them, visitors to the mountains between this world and the next have just one job to do before they take their last breath – to choose their most cherished memories to revisit from a stack of ageing photographs. Watching the moments go past them once again, each visitor can choose just one day to live, and photograph, once again.
If Cats Disappeared From The World
by Genki Kawamura
Translated by Eric Selland
When a lonely postman learns he has only days to live, he’s offered an unusual bargain: for each thing he agrees to remove from the world, he gains one more day of life. As he weighs what the world – and he himself – can live without, everyday objects take on new meaning. And when the proposition turns to his beloved cat, the stakes become even more difficult to bear. Warm and quietly moving, If Cats Disappeared from the World invites us to reflect on what really matters in modern life.
