gifted by the publisher

After her husband's untimely death, Kyoko decides to raise her son in SF, away from her parents in Japan and Jewish in-laws in Boston. Through vignettes, Kyoko's fluctuating emotions demonstrate the range of grief and loss, and ultimately, how one moves on when all seems lost.

SEE is an all-vibes no-plot story that reminds me of CHEMISTRY (Weike Wang) and GOODBYE, VITAMIN (Rachel Khong) stylistically. I love the various characters who show her kindness along the way, especially her quirky mother-in-law. Through contemplating prose, Tominaga beautifully demonstrates that raising a child takes a village, and heal a wound takes a community.

Due to the meandering narrative, I couldn't get a good sense of who Kyoko is. Is her coldness toward her dead husband due to grief? Rage? The writing held me at arm's length at times, and I wish there was a more central theme to tie the story together. I recommend SEE to those looking for vignettes about grief with a quirky narrative.