Today I’m joining the blog tour for The Library Of Heartbeats. My review is written with thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me on the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

From the international bestselling author of The Phone Box at the Edge of the World: a powerful, moving novel of grief, hope, friendship and love based around a real archive on an island in Japan, where people travel to record their heartbeats.

To find what you have lost, you must listen to your heart . . .

On the peaceful Japanese island of Teshima there is a library of heartbeats, a place where the heartbeats of visitors from all around the world are collected. In this small, isolated building, the heartbeats of people who are still alive or have already passed away continue to echo.

Several miles away, in the ancient city of Kamakura, two lonely souls meet: Shuichi, a forty-year-old illustrator, who returns to his home-town to fix up the house of his recently deceased mother, and eight-year-old Kenta, a child who wanders like a shadow around Shuichi’s house.

Day by day, the trust between Shuichi and Kenta grows until they discover they share a bond that will tie them together for life. Their journey will lead them to Teshima and to the library of heartbeats . . .

Review:

I loved The Phone Box At The Edge Of The World, so I was delighted to see that Laura Imai Messina has released another book and to have the opportunity to read and review it. The Library Of Heartbeats is a beautiful concept: it’s a museum on the Japanese Island of Teshima where people are able to listen to other people’s heartbeats and record their own. Laura Imai Messina’s writing reflects this beauty and I loved how emotional it made me feel and how i became immersed in the stories the museum held.

The Library Of Heartbeats tells the story of Shuichi and Kenya. It’s a slow burning story, but as it unfolds it becomes increasingly touching and heartwarming. I loved the relationship between the two characters and I felt connected to them more and more as the novel developed. 
Laura Imai Messina explores many themes in The Library Of Heartbeats and whilst they are not always easy to read, there will be something in this novel that resonates with everyone. She captures human nature and emotion in great detail and this makes The Library Of Heartbeats a novel I will remember for a long time to come

The Library Of Heartbeats is available from Amazon.

You can follow the rest of the blog tour here: