Abstract

A story that makes you want to take a deep breath.
A “Shinrin-yoku (forest-bathing)” mystery suffused with tears and rays of hope.
A tale of heart-warming encounters among people lost in the woods.

Bullying, exams, employment, love, incurable illness…
Each person carries their own burdens and has lost hope.
In the vast forest hidden in the middle of the city where they stray, a young man appears.
The words spoken by the seemingly carefree forest keeper mysteriously reach their hearts.
What fate awaits them after these encounters?
And what is the forbidden secret hidden within the forest and the young man?
A mystery brimming with surprises, emotion, and hope.

[Contents]
The Coloring Tree — The Mirror Forest
The Budding Tree — I Lie on the Ground
The Snow-Waiting Tree — Indian Summer
The Tree of Illness — The Last Roses of Summer
The Growing Tree — A Secret Hideout at Fifty-Two
The Captive Tree — Skylark Ascending
The New Tree — A Place Where Light Shines

Author’s Information

Born in Hokkaido in 1970. After graduating from a junior college, began writing novels. Made her debut in 2006 by winning the All Yomimono New Writers Award for Natsumitsu. In 2010, she was nominated for the 143rd Naoki Prize for Ano Hi ni Kaeritai. Other works include Natsumitsu, Meguru, Welcome to Tefutefu Manor, The Mitsuha Family, When the Flowers Bloom, and My Lost Belongings.