“Soon I won’t be with you any longer, but when the rainy season returns, I will come back and see how the two of you are getting along.” — p. 27
This is a 100-word book review.
Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa (translated from the Japanese by Terry Gallagher) has a quiet, sentimental value. It’s a touching story about a husband, wife and little boy. Mio (wife) had died, but when she returns home a year later, Takkun (husband) and Yuji (son) are shocked. Takkun recalls Mio’s words (see quote above) before her death. He retells their life story to Mio because she has lost her memory when she returns as a ghost, but looks every bit human. They fall in love all over again. It’s a heartbreaking story of a couple’s second chance at first love.
This is love. I am in love. I am in love with my wife’s ghost. Fantastic. (p. 89)
