Tuesday 17 January 2017

Book Review: Solanin by Inio Asano

Book: Solanin
Author: Inio Asano
Genres: Romance, slice of life, music manga
My Rating: 5/5 STARS


Meiko Inoue is a recent college grad working as an office lady in a job she hates. Her boyfriend Naruo is permanently crashing at her apartment because his job as a freelance illustrator doesn't pay enough for rent. And her parents in the country keep sending her boxes of veggies that just rot in her fridge. Straddling the line between her years as a student and the rest of her life, Meiko struggles with the feeling that she's just not cut out to be a part of the real world.



My Review:
I really loved this book, the main thing I loved about it was that it was very relatable. The story is about a young woman (Meiko) at the age of 24 who is questioning her life and the role she plays in society. She hates her job so one day she decides to quit.

The themes of this book are about how monotonous life can be and it's about trying to find your purpose in life or the thing that makes you happy.  I think everyone can probably relate to this book at one point or other in their lives.  The issues in this book felt very real to the point where it didn't feel like a fiction book.  I felt the characters reflected my own thoughts and feelings (and what I know are a lot of other peoples thoughts and feelings) very well.

I was surprised at how it didn't just focus on Meiko (the main character) but also on the other characters and I loved getting an insight into each character and seeing that they are all feeling the same way about their lives even though they each deal with it differently.  I thought Meiko's boyfriend was going to be a side character in the book but as you're reading he becomes more of a main character and it shows his struggles in life both with his job and the music he wants to play.

I liked the relationship between Meiko and her boyfriend.  They weren't extremely 'lovey dovey' with each other but you could tell they really cared about each other and that made it feel real and was refreshing to read about.

Overall I think this is a great manga that has a lot of important topics that can really make the reader relate and because of that it definitely makes you think and reflect on the story after finishing it. 




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