Reference
Fifteen-year-old Yuki is struggling at school with her confidence and goes to Japan to stay with her grandfather, a well-known manga artist with whom she is very close. But during her visit, a calamitous event occurs - the East Coast Earthquake and Tsunami - and her beloved Grandpa does not survive.
Sedgwick has crafted a multimedia masterpiece. From the beginning of the book, we follow Yuki on a journey to see her beloved grandfather. It is so easy to see the love that she has for his quirky, intelligent, and caring comments. His passion and talent for the art of manga creation is shared with Yuki, and just as they start to unpack her, very relatable, emotional baggage disaster strikes. Her grandfather stays with her through the earthquake and gets her to “Little Mountain” and gives her instructions on how to stay safe before he shockingly heads down the mountain to do “one last thing.”
The reader stays with Yuki. Waiting, feeling her nerves, and hoping beyond hope that Grandpa makes it safely back to the mountain. Yuki, feeling desperate, goes down the mountain to find him and unfortunately gets pulled into the wave. Waking up after the wave, unsure of whether or not she is alive or dead leads to a walk through destruction. She tries to recognize the life that she has been living moments before the quake. Worst of all, she can’t find her grandfather.
The story continues over the next year of Yuki’s life and Yuki’s journey to peace. She is desperate to find a way to calm her anxiety over the disaster, to find out what actually happened to her grandfather, and to find a way to live after experiencing something that few can say they survived. She searches for healing in art, her friend, and ultimately a trip to the disaster site.
I hope that you choose to read this raw, relatable, and warm story. The characters welcome you in and the journey compels you to stay along for the entire story. Enjoy.
