What a brilliant book! This is the kind of book that everyone should read.

Content warnings: multiple cancer related deaths, child neglect, suicide

“Harassment, pranks, it doesn’t matter to me. I treat every letter that comes in as a cry for help. These people are no different from the rest of us. They have a hole in their hearts, and something vital is bleeding out. [...] Even the one who sent me thirty letters of gibberish must have spent hours and hours writing. No one does that if they aren’t hoping for some kind of response. So I respond, and I give those responses everything I’ve got. You can’t ignore someone who speaks to you from the heart.”

This quote right here tells you everything you need to know about the gem that was Yuji Namiya, the owner of the Namiya General Store, “The General Store That Answers Your Woes”.

I want to type out every single feeling I have about this book, and trust me I have lots, but at the same time, I don’t want to spoil anything. In my opinion, this is a book where the less you know when you start it, the better.

But I will recommend this book to everyone. The Miracles of the Namiya General Store has this soothing quality that will instantly melt your heart, and maybe move you to tears. This book offers a rollercoaster of emotions, it’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll make you angry, it’ll make you feel helpless, it’ll make you want to grab some of these characters and hide them from the pain. And finally, it will make you believe in miracles. And in the power our words hold and how they can steer the course of someone’s entire life.

“People don’t drift apart for one specific reason. Well, you might be able to find a reason, but you could come up with one only after you made up your mind, a tired excuse tacked on after the fact. If their hearts were still in it and their bond was threatening to sever, you’d think one of them would step in and try to fix things. When no one does, you know the bond has already been broken.”

Read this book if you like:
➵ magical realism
➵ slice-of-life stories
➵ Studio Ghibli-esque stories
➵ slow paced books
➵ character driven stories
➵ multiple POVs
➵ emotional stories that will touch your heart in more ways than one

While this book will stay with me for a long long time, I did have some favourite moments. Out of the five chapters/stories, Chapter 2, Midnight Blues, and Chapter 3, Overnight in the Civic are my favourite.

“Your music will save lives. And the songs you create will absolutely live on.”
You cannot tell me this chapter did not make you feel all the feels.

And the ending. GOD that ending was everything I hoped for and more! The very last letter Mr. Namiya wrote in response to a certain somebody’s blank letter was such a perfect note to end the book on. I also loved how the future of our dear delinquents was left open ended.

Spoiler

And can we talk about this:
"It’s like someone in the sky is tugging on the strings.”
And this:
‘I’ll pull some strings up there and make sure you’re taken care of.’
BECAUSE OH MY GOD!

I need everyone to drop whatever they’re doing and read this book ASAP. Thank you very much

A really touching story about the day-to-day life of a simple family. I am glad I decided to read the book before watching the Satyajit Ray adaptation. This is a book that you definitely should read, regardless of whether you've watched the movie and know the story or not.

PSA: The ending will make you cry. Make sure you have sufficient tissue papers before you start reading the book

This book! I'll be honest, I did not have very high expectations from this book, but it blew me away! It was so wholesome and comforting, I teared up a few times.

I raced through this book in a day. It is fast-paced, exciting, has fully realised main characters you can't help but root for, intriguing court politics, and so much more. Maybe in a few days I will be able to calm my thoughts down enough to write a proper review. Until then, take my advice and read The Red Palace it you love murder and historical fiction