Synopsis
- The protagonist, Kaoruko Nomiya, is 41 years old. She is an earnest woman working at the Legal Affairs Bureau. She has experienced a divorce and the sudden death of her younger brother, Haruhiko, leaving her with a deep sense of loss.
- Due to her brother’s will, Kaoruko meets Haruhiko’s ex-girlfriend, Setsuna Onodera. Setsuna works as a chef at the housekeeping service company “Kafune,” and Kaoruko begins assisting her.
- The two visit families struggling with childcare, nursing care, and loneliness, and offer emotional support through cleaning and cooking. Setsuna’s cooking, in particular, has the power to soothe and heal.
- The story carefully sheds light on the issues facing modern society, depicting Kaoruko and Setsuna as they confront their own pasts and pain and find renewal.
Review
■ A work set in Hachioji
This work, which won the 2025 Booksellers’ Choice Award and is set in Hachioji, made me want to read it.
The story begins in a cafe near Hachioji Station, and the story unfolds in Hachioji, with specific place names such as Minamino used throughout.
I finished the book in no time.
I’d never heard the word kafune before, but it’s also the theme of the story.
■The Concerns of Women in Their 40s
The protagonist faces a variety of issues surrounding women of this age, including work, infertility treatment, divorce, and her parents.
As the story progresses, you begin to sense her strength as she continues to move forward, even as she is overcome by difficult situations.
Thanks in part to Setsuna, it also feels like a coming-of-age story for women in their 40s.
■The Human Heart and Love
This story is a reminder of the difficulty, or even the impossibility, of understanding other people.
The way we see others is truly limited. It makes you realize that there are things you can only understand by touching their deepest hearts.
And the existence of love that can only be expressed through understanding. The word kafune also describes the gesture used when one reaches that state.
