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The Library of Heartbeats

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What to expect

'GOOD FOR THE SOUL' iNews
'MESMERISING' Sunday Post
'LYRICAL' iPaper
"TENDER AND MOVING' Woman's Own

A POWERFUL, MOVING NOVEL OF GRIEF, HOPE, FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE BASED ON A REAL HEARTBEAT ARCHIVE ON AN ISLAND IN JAPAN.

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 . . .

PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR AND THE PHONE BOX AT THE EDGE OF THE WORLD:

'Absolutely breathtaking' Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo

'A moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief' Sunday Times

'Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour' Choice, Book of the Month

'A poignant, atmospheric novel' Daily Mail

'A striking haiku of the human heart' The Times

'Beautiful. A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving' Clare Mackintosh

'Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul' Stacey Halls

'Mesmerising . . . beautiful . . . a joy to read' Joanna Glen, Costa shortlisted author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope

'Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast expansive meditation on grieving and loss' Heat

'A perfect poignant read' Woman & Home

Critics Review

A story about grief and friendship
Woman's Own
A lyrical tale about a tranquil Japanese island where people go to record their heartbeats
iPaper
Gorgeous . . . This novel is good for the soul
iNews
Mesmerising second novel . . . A tale of grief, hope, friendship and love
Sunday Post
A moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief and the small miraculous moments that persuade people to start looking forward again
Sunday Times on The Phone Box at the Edge of the World
Absolutely breathtaking. A story of universal loss and the power of love. It will remain engrained in my heart forever
Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo on The Phone Box at the Edge of the World
Author Laura Imai Messina
Narrator Kenichiro Thomson
Duration 6 hours and 55 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781786583147
Format Audiobook
Publisher Manilla Press
Genre Fiction in translation, Fiction: general and literary, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss
Availability AU, GB, IE

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