📘 Synopsis
- A letter from “her future self”: Akiko, a fourth-grade elementary school student, suddenly receives a letter claiming to be from “herself twenty years in the future.”
The letter contains details only her family would know and even includes a commemorative bookmark from a future theme park; convinced of its authenticity, Akiko believes it is real.
However, the letter was actually ghostwritten by her homeroom teacher, Maiko Shinomiya, at the request of Akiko’s late father, Ryota.
Sensing his impending death, her father had wanted to convey to his daughter that “the future is bright.” - Akiko’s hellish home life: Akiko has lost her father, and her mother is mentally unstable.
Her mother’s live-in partner, Hayasaka, subjects Akiko to violence and begins forcing her mother into prostitution.
Bullied at school as well, Akiko loses any sense of belonging or safe haven. - Best friend Arisa’s harsh reality: Arisa, too, suffers from violence and abuse at the hands of her father.
Her younger brother, Kento, was forced into prostitution by their father and, driven to the brink, committed suicide.
Because the letter from “her future self” stated that Kento was still alive, Arisa realizes the letter is a fake. - The “murder plot” devised by the two: With nowhere left to turn, Akiko and Arisa hatch a plan to poison their abusers (Hayasaka and Arisa’s father) and stage the deaths to look like an accidental fire.
They intend to carry out the plan while traveling on a night bus to a theme park called “Dreamland.” - The ending: Choosing to “seek help” rather than revenge: On the bus, the two girls realize they both possess the same “30th-anniversary bookmark.”
It serves as a symbol of the “letter from the future” and a sign that there is a possibility for them to survive into the future. Akiko speaks to Arisa… “Let’s not go today; let’s ask for help instead.
There must be adults out there who will actually listen.” The two decide to abandon their plans for revenge and choose instead to “scream” and “ask for help.”
What happens next is left unwritten, entrusted to the reader’s imagination.
💬 Thoughts
- A heart-wrenching heaviness
I found the reading experience painful and the cycle of misery agonizing.
The relentless depiction of abuse, poverty, and bullying places a heavy emotional burden on the reader. - A compelling narrative that keeps you reading
The latter half features a whirlwind of developments where multiple perspectives intertwine—a structure that truly showcases Kanae Minato’s mastery. - A powerful message regarding social issues
This work confronts us with the dark side of modern society, touching on themes like the “parent lottery” (the idea that one’s life is determined by the parents they are born to) and adults who turn a blind eye. - The “faint light” at the end offers salvation
Amidst the despair, the choice to “ask for help” leaves a glimmer of hope.
