There are romance novels and romance novels. And although it seems the same, the difference is marked by the depth of the plot. I do not want to detract from the novels of this genre that devote themselves to telling us the life and work of two lovers in the face of an impossible love (due to thousands of circumstances), many of them are perfect entertainment. But is that the case of this book Sonoko's garden it is quite special.
First of all, the stage. To read this new novel by David Crespo is to travel to Japan, to the depths of its customs, to the innermost part of a country, from where that particular idiosyncrasy based on respect and customs towards coexistence is built.
Second, the story itself. Kaoru is a peculiar guy. He is dedicated to selling shoes in Kyoto, another gray being appears to us as the unexpected protagonist of the story. But little by little we enter his hermetic soul of unfathomable twists and turns, where he tries to hide the pain of the past. Kaoru turns out to be a strangely nice being, first of all because of his eccentric manias, but also because of his perspective of a world that must turn every day with the same absolute routine.
Kaoru receives an irrefutable invitation one day. Sonoko wants to go for a ride with him. And he cannot refuse, despite the rupture of reality that the idea supposes, something tells him that he must surrender to that insurrection in the face of his routine.
As he gets closer to Sonoko, we discover Karou's justifications for being as closed and singular as he is. But in Japan the truth about the destiny of people is traced by a red thread, a thread that is tangled at times, that seems to close on you, that binds and frees you, that confuses you and that seems to tie you to the past, even that you finally find the other extreme, the one that ends at the feet of another person, the one who shared your thread at all times, until the moment you get to know them.
It is more than likely that Karou has found the other end of her red thread. And nothing will be the same.
You can buy the book Sonoko's garden, the latest novel by David Crespo, here:
Thank you very much for your review Mr. Herranz! I am glad to know that you liked my novel.