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The Phone Box at the Edge of the World

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The Phone Box at the Edge of the World

By: Laura Imai Imai Messina, Lucy Rand - translator
Narrated by: Yuriri Naka
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About this listen

'Absolutely breathtaking' Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo.

We all have something to tell those we have lost . . .

On a windy hill in Japan, in a garden overlooking the sea stands a disused phone box. For years, people have travelled to visit the phone box, to pick up the receiver and speak into the wind: to pass their messages to loved ones no longer with us.

When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she is plunged into despair and wonders how she will ever carry on. One day she hears of the phone box, and decides to make her own pilgrimage there, to speak once more to the people she loved the most. But when you have lost everything, the right words can be the hardest thing to find . . .

Then she meets Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss. What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking...

The Phone Box at the Edge of the World is an unforgettable story of the depths of grief, the lightness of love and the human longing to keep the people who are no longer with us close to our hearts.

©2020 Laura Imai Messina and Lucy Rand (P)2020 Bonnier Books UK Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction World Literature Feel-Good Heartfelt Inspiring Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Natural Disaster

Critic reviews

"Absolutely breathtaking...a story of universal loss and the power of love. It will remain engraved in my heart and mind forever." (Christy Lefteri, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Beekeeper of Aleppo)

"Beautiful. A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving." (Clare Mackintosh, Sunday Times best-selling author of After the End)

"Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul." (Stacey Halls, Sunday Times best-selling author of The Familiars)
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what a lovely narrated story. Very sensitive. It must bring peace to anyone who has lost someone.

loved this book.

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loved every minute of this sad but beautiful story have recommended it again and again

Totally and utterly beautiful

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Wonderful! A beautiful stream of consciousness that, despite its sad theme, is a truly uplifting read. Narrated perfectly in soothing tones. Absolutely loved it

A Beautiful Read

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This was an unexpected jewel. Thought provoking and entertaining, the prose, in my view being enhanced by the narration.

just a beautiful book

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I have only read 2 Japanese books, the other one was the sumurais garden. Both stories are wise, reflective, somehow peaceful and beautifully written.
This book made me think and realize again that everyone is unique in the way people do things, especially mourning. It's about how to give people space to live and grow and be.
Beautifully read.

A wise and charming book

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