Days at the Torunka Café A novel

Welcome to the Torunka Café, named after the Czech artist, puppet maker, illustrator, and film animator Jiři Trnka (Torunka approximates the Japanese pronunciation), a favorite of the café owner and his wife. Located in a quiet, hard-to-find corner of bustling Tokyo, the café draws regulars who return for an individually prepared and perfect cup of coffee and to enjoy the welcoming light and soft Chopin études and savor conversation and connection. Three heartstring-tugging narratives launch Yagisawa's gratifying new series. Chinatsu, a ballerina and origami-folding young woman, mysteriously claims to have been past-life lovers with befuddled café employee Shūichi. Middle-aged Numata, suffering a debilitating illness, returns to where he was happiest in his youth and meets vibrant Ayako, the daughter of his abandoned beloved. Unexpectedly falling in love helps Shizuku, the owner's 17-year-old daughter, find a delicate peace after losing her older sister six years ago. As he so successfully achieved in his Morisaki Bookshop titles, Yagisawa creates another comforting refuge where lost souls can find one another. Literary author Ozawa returns to translate, clearly absorbing the gentle kindness so abundantly ingrained here.