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The Passengers On The Hankyu Line
by Hiro Arikawa
While originally published in Japan in 2008, this translated version is a new treat for English readers.
With familial connections to Japan and the privilege of travelling some of the Hankyu Line myself last year, I felt a certain affinity for this charming novel.
The first half is a clever mosaic of multiple travellers all journeying the same line, simultaneously. The latter half of the book is set on the return route, six months later.
Best-selling author Hiro Arikawa gives us a snapshot into the travellers’ minds. These include a young man and woman meeting for the first time, a recently widowed grandmother and her granddaughter, a girl caught in an abusive relationship, and the beauty dressed in white, leaving the wedding after learning of her husband’s infidelities.
If you can describe a book as cosy, this would be it. It is a light read that kept me turning the pages. All the characters and stories intertwine seamlessly and highlight how we often don’t realise the impact we can have, in even the briefest of meetings with a stranger.
A great read to curl up with on a rainy day.
Reviewed by Abby Soffe
Not just a GP
by Tony Townsend
I’m not entirely sure that I’m the best person to review this self-styled memoir, given my background as a career community nurse. To me it seems akin to a modern-day textbook, with anecdotes, but unlike this genre it includes occasional family insights and experiences.
The book covers a huge range of medical and social topics ranging from power imbalances to a more modern shared way of working with the client [patient] and whanau.
We share his personal journey of discovery, as a man and as a doctor, which includes references to his reading material. While Tony gets a bit carried away with detail perhaps more suited to health professionals than the public, I for one would like to have such a researched-based, open, caring, knowledgeable and enquiring person as my doctor.
He is human, he doesn’t always get everything right, but he learns from these experiences. I like this honesty. He comes across as intelligent, always learning and sharing. Although he seems to be a serious person (not a lot of humour in the book), his heart is in the right place.
As a final word, well done for coming out of retirement to help with covid.
Reviewed by Barbara Leslie
