Lonely castle in the mirror
Lonely castle in the mirror
- Author: Mizuki Tsujimura
- Genre: Social novels
- Language: English
- Target group: adults
- Year of publication: 2021
- Physical description: 354 pages, 22 cm
- Tags: anxiety, growing up, Japan, peer violence, teenagers, uneasiness
Kokoro stops going to school because of an unpleasant experience. As she spends her mornings in her room, her mirror begins to glitter and a passageway to a mysterious castle opens up. The Wolf Queen, a girl with a wolf mask, explains to the seven selected teenagers that they have until the 30th of March to find the key and the wishing room. . They must leave the castle by 5 pm or the wolf eats them. One wish will be granted to one of them, and everyone will forget everything that happened in the castle. Through conversation, the teenagers find out that they all supposedly went to the same school, even though they have never seen each other. They have to weigh up what is more important, the fulfilment of a wish or the memories of the shared moments when they finally found someone to talk to them. In the style of magical realism, the novel offers alienated adolescents a second chance to integrate into society and lead a quality life. An emotional story of young people facing trauma and hardship, when lack of understanding leaves them no choice but to escape into solitude. (EZ)