The Healing Hippo Of Hinode Park

By (author) Aoyama, Michiko; Translated by Nieda Takami
Description:

The brand new novel by the author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY now available in translation
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Readers adore Healing Hippo:
''I wanted to discover the magical hippo in myself as I read this book'' *****
''How does Aoyama depict human emotion so vividly? I imagined myself in this book'' *****
''I almost wept on my train home from work'' *****
''It gripped my heart. I wish there was a magical hippo near my home'' *****
''Whenever I feel hurt, I want to re-read this wonderful book'' *****
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‘Kabahiko is an amazing hippo. People say that if you touch the area of his body that you want to make better on yours, he’ll provide a cure''

Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children''s playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community.

Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko:
-Kanato presses his head to the hippo''s cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored;
- Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant;
- Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others;
- Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain.
- despite Kazuhiko''s fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life''s everyday wonders.

A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama''s beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader''s heart.

Review quote:
If you''re after a feel-good tale, this story about a community who find comfort in a stubby hippo statue in a children''s playground is for you.
Biographical note:
Michiko Aoyama is the author of the multi-million-copy bestselling What You Are Looking For is in the Library, translated by Alison Watts, which was a Time Book of the Year, a Times bestseller and a New York Times Book of the Month. Matcha on Monday is a companion read to the author’s debut, Hot Chocolate on Thursday. Both are set in and around the fictitious Marble Cafe, a tiny community café in Tokyo. Another book available in English by Aoyama and translated by Takami Nieda is the international bestseller The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park. Aoyama lives in Yokohama, Japan.