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Someone to Watch Over You
Kumi Kimura | Asa Yoneda (Translator)
Publication Date: June 3rd, 2025
Pushkin Press
144 Pages
Amazon | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
Genre: Literary Fiction
I don’t know if something got lost in translation or what, but this should have been a book I loved. The story takes place during the pandemic in 2020. Just a note, I have no issues reading about COVID, and I’ve seen other reviewers describe this as strange or odd, and I have to agree. Tae is a school teacher in her 40s, and Shinobul is a handyman in his mid-30s, and they share a home during the isolation of the pandemic. During their stay, the entire community that they live in is angry, hostile and distrustful of everyone they don’t know.
I think the author was going for the emotional side of things, but it fell short for me, and this was a missed opportunity to explore the power of connection during a difficult and scary time. The premise was a good one, and Kimura tries to show loneliness in a new light and how past mistakes haunt us. But it felt one-dimensional and superficial to me. I am trying to explain things as best I can without spoilers. Let me say it didn’t seem enlightening or new. The pacing was a bit slow, and the story was drawn out on the smaller details that added nothing to the plot or moved the story forward. And then some parts felt rushed, so the emotional impact couldn’t be felt.
Overall, the book tries to tug at the heartstrings and fails. It felt too forced to me. If you’re looking for a truly profound story about the human condition (and connection), this one may leave you wanting more, as it did me. This just proves that a good premise isn’t enough to pack an emotional punch. (Then again, it may be my small, cold robot heart.)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
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