Zephyr Songs for Ghosts
When Eurasian 17-year-old Adam, a student of the cello and Japanese, is struggling from breaking up with his boyfriend, he discovers a 1911 diary in the attic of the home he shares with his father, stepmother and baby half-brother. The author is a young Japanese girl living in Nagasaki whose words are compelling and captivate Adam. Inspired by Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, this is a deep and sensitive emotional tale of love and loss. The title reflects the importance of music throughout all the characters’ lives both past and present, as ghosts haunt and thread through time. Adam embarks on a haunting quest which leads him from America to Japan where untold family secrets are revealed to him.
This is a beautiful and heart-wrenching, tense, supernatural story of: love, death, misogyny, racism, betrayal, conformity, friendships, relationships, homophobia, and identity. There are many layers to this novel that will intrigue and provide opportunity for deeper conversation on any of the above listed aspects. Japanese poetry and songs from the past, traditionally played on ancient instruments by the partially sighted, who performed ghost songs, add a hauntingly beautiful quality to the two timelines of the diarist and Adam. Aspects of Japan’s history and culture delight as the plot gathers pace.
This is a gentle ghost story that lingers, but the topics raised through the characters’ painful experiences and loving moments resonate with many issues faced by young lovers today, especially understanding personal identity and an individual’s journey of self-discovery.
This brilliantly researched book is recommended for confident readers of 14+ years, who have an interest in music, Japanese myths and history, and ghosts.
