<Reading> Nene at the Watermill

Sure enough, before I knew it, it was April.
How is your progress on the goals
you set at the beginning of the year?
Have you managed to clear about two of them by 70%?
I hope to achieve my goals in the new fiscal year
without pushing myself too hard and by enjoying the process.

Today's book is
Nene at the Watermill by Kikuko Tsumura
I believe it was the 2nd place winner of the 2023 Japan Booksellers' Award.
I was finally able to read it after reserving it at the library.

The story begins when the older sister is 18 and the younger sister is 8.
The tracks of their lives, starting from a somewhat heartbreaking premise,
are chronicled over 40 years.
The passage of time is reflected in the page count,
making it a very rewarding read.

Even when I turned the pages with a racing heart,
wondering what would happen next,
the claws of Satan do not attack these two who live their lives quietly.
I was able to watch over their journey with peace of mind.
It felt like a warm drink slowly soothing my body.

Their shared way of life is not intense,
but I feel it offers some hints for living.

Reminding me of the saying 'Kindness is never wasted,'
the two of them work straightforwardly without calculating profit and loss,
and help others whenever they can.

Of course, at my age, I know that living this way doesn't necessarily
guarantee happiness, but I thought that people who have the 'room' to
properly consider others besides themselves are beautiful.

This expression of humility remained in my heart.

Encounters are important.
I think they often become the trigger that steers us
in either a bad or a good direction.
I hope those who have started a new chapter this year have good encounters.

And I hope that I, too, can increase even a little
the 'good parts' I can share with the people I meet.

Wishing for that, I closed the final cover of the 482 pages.
By the way, I won't tell you what Nene is,
or what the watermill is.

If you are interested, please pick it up and see for yourself.
It is a warm book that I am sure you won't regret reading.

~Thank you for reading~