PRE-ORDER MICHIKO AOYAMA''S LATEST NOVEL The enchanting new feelgood novel by the two-million-copy bestselling author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY where five overlapping lives seek comfort from a magical hippo ride: Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block in the community of Advance Hill is the children''s playground, Hinode Park, where you will find a very special hippo ride. According to urban legend, if you touch it with the area of your body that needs comfort, you will see swift signs of recovery. Meet a couple of the neighbours who use the hippo ride, from a highschool student to an eighty-year-old cleaning lady: -Kanato lays his head on the hippo''s back, hoping to recover the confidence he lost when he started at his scary new school; - Saha, a new mother with no friends, strokes its mouth, in case she can bring back the words she spoke when she was an award-winning retail assistant; Three more neighbours will come to the magical hippo for help, as they discover how to resolve emotional pain for themselves, if their heart is open and their minds are at peace, in this deeply moving celebration of kindness, community and understanding. Readers adore Recovery Hippo : '' I wanted to find the magical hippo in myself as I read this book'' ***** ''How does Aoyama depict human emotion so vividly ? I imagined myself in this book'' ***** ''I almost wept on my train home from work'' ***** ''It gripped my heart . I wish there was a magical hippo near my home'' ***** ''Whenever I feel hurt, I want to re-read this wonderful book'' *****

Autorentext

Michiko Aoyama is the author of the multi-million-copy bestselling What You Are Looking For is in the Library, translated by Alison Watts, which was a Time Book of the Year, a Times bestseller and a New York Times Book of the Month. Matcha on Monday is a companion read to the author's debut, Hot Chocolate on Thursday. Both are set in and around the fictitious Marble Cafe, a tiny community café in Tokyo.
Another book available in English by Aoyama and translated by Takami Nieda is the international bestseller The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park.
Aoyama lives in Yokohama, Japan.

Klappentext

**THE GLOBAL BESTSELLER

By the multi-million-copy author of WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY for fans of BEFORE THE COFFEE GETS COLD
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Readers adore Healing Hippo:
*'***I wanted to discover the magical hippo in myself as I read this book' *****
'How does Aoyama depict human emotion so vividly? I imagined myself in this book' *****
'I almost wept on my train home from work' *****
'It gripped my heart. I wish there was a magical hippo near my home' *****
'Whenever I feel hurt, I want to re-read this wonderful book' *****

Nestling at the bottom of a five-storey apartment block is the children's playground, Hinode Park. If you look to the side, standing on stubby legs, is a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look, yet for decades, its quiet power has sustained the hearts of one community.

Meet the neighbours who will reach out to kabahiko hippo:
-Kanato presses his head to the hippo's cheek, hoping to recover the stellar marks he once scored;

• Sawa, a lonely new mother, strokes its mouth, hopes to connect as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant;
• Chiharu, a wedding-planner, hopes to be able to listen for the happiness of others;
• Yuya avoids sports day with a fake injury, only to find he really is in pain.
• despite *Kazuhiko'***s fading eyes from too much editorial work, he will learn to see life's everyday wonders.

A quietly powerful story of hope, friendship and connection, Michiko Aoyama's beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters. Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader's heart.