Over four million copies sold in Japan ''You will be wrapped in laughter and tears '' Reader review ***** ''What I love about it is its Kindness '' Reader review ***** ''I wanted to tap the shoulders of the characters'' Reader review ***** Famously scenic, the Hankyu commuter train trundles daily through Japanese landscape unaware of the heartaches of the passengers it carries. On the outward journey we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters as we puzzle out how they will unravel; on the return journey six months later, we watch them resolve: - a young man meets the young woman, who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can take it out himself - a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad - a university student leaves his hometown for the first time - a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend; - an old lady discusses adopting a dog with her granddaughter. As the seasons come around, so the Hankyu line trundles on carrying the lives and loves of its passengers ever forwards.

Autorentext
HIRO ARIKAWA is the multi-million-copy bestselling author of THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES and THE GOODBYE CAT. Passing through a scenic mountainous region of Japan, the famous Hankyu line is a privately run railway that connects Osaka and Kyoto and is famous for its maroon-coloured vintage-style carriages. One of its much-visited stops is the city of Takarazuka, where the author of this book lives. Published twenty years ago, this enduring Japanese classic has sold 1.4 million copies and has been published worldwide.

Klappentext

**THE INSTANT TIMES BESTSELLER

DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FEELGOOD JAPANESE NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES

Over 1.4 million copies sold in Japan**

'You will be wrapped in laughter and tears' Reader review
'What I love about it is its Kindness' Reader review
'I wanted to tap the shoulders of the characters' Reader review*******
'Imagine Murder on the Orient Express without the untimely fatalities and you'll be halfway towards this cosy and affecting read'** Harper's Bazaar
**_________**

The contents of each traveller's heart is a mystery known only to themselves

Trundling through the scenic countryside of Kyoto and Osaka is the Hankyu line, a burgundy-coloured electric train that has been carrying its commuters to their destinations for decades.

Over the course of a single journey in springtime, and the return journey six months later just as the leaves begin to fall:

• a young man meets the woman who happens to take out the last copy of the library book he was about to borrow;
• an angry wedding guest dresses in a white gown to upstage the bride;
• a university student leaves home for the first time;
• a twenty-something finally grows the courage to walk away from an abusive partner
• a widow learns independence, as she and her granddaughter discuss their new dog.

As the seasons and the landscapes change, passengers jostle and connect, as this timeless train carries each one forward towards the person they intend to become.