Abstract

Winner of the 14th Yamada Futaro Award!

October 2010. Kohane, a high school sophomore living in a port town in Miyagi Prefecture, is busy caring for her mother who suffers from schizophrenia. Her depression is only understood by her classmates Kohei, who cares for his bipolar grandmother, and Rinko, who takes care of her alcoholic mother and young brother. With no one to turn to, the three lead lonely and isolated lives until they meet a woman named Aoba, who has been staying with a relative in town.

Aoba shows kindness and understanding to the three and supports and encourages them at every chance.
Just as the three young carers start to feel that there may be some positive outlook in their future, everything changes drastically with the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

July 2022. Kohane, now a nurse, suffers from regrets and unhealed wounds from the disaster. Then one day, she is reunited with old friends, which leads her to confront her past and the secrets that Aoba had been carrying. ......

A moving and important work focusing on the reality of young carers.

Author’s Information

Born 1986 in Miyagi Pref, Maekawa worked as a nurse while taking up writing. He won the 7th Poplar New Writer Award with “Ato wo Kesu” which became is debut work, and was nominated for the 22nd Haruhiko Oyabu Prize with “Secret Pain”