Cherry Blossoms

by Kim Hooper

Overview

From the author of the critically-acclaimed debut People Who Knew Me comes the story of one man’s determination to abandon his will to live.

Jonathan Krause is a man with a plan. He is going to quit his advertising job and, when his money runs out, he is going to die. He just has one final mission: A trip to Japan. It’s a trip he was supposed to take with his girlfriend, Sara. It’s a trip inspired by his regrets. And it’s a trip to pay homage to the Japanese, the inventors of his chosen suicide technique.

In preparation for his final voyage, Jonathan enrolls in a Japanese language class where he meets Riko, who has her own plans to visit her homeland, for very different reasons. Their unexpected and unusual friendship takes them to Japan together, where they each struggle to make peace with their past and accept that happiness, loneliness, and grief come and go—just like the cherry blossoms.

Haunted by lost love, Jonathan must decide if he can embrace the transient nature of life, or if he must choose the certainty of death.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684421787
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	10/30/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Kim Hooper is the author of PEOPLE WHO KNEW ME, hailed as "refreshingly raw and honest" by the Wall Street Journal. CHERRY BLOSSOMS is her second novel. She lives in Southern California with her husband, daughter, and a collection of pets.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Kim Hooper's talent is spirited, at times breathtaking, and at the height of its bloom. Cherry Blossoms is a lovely meditation on loss, renewal and the ephemeral nature of life. I just loved it." - Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus

With compassion and poignancy, Kim Hooper’s engaging new novel follows a depressed copywriter in the months before he plans to end it all. Part mystery, with a dash of travel guide, and a hearty splash of dark humor, Cherry Blossoms is an adventure I won’t soon forget. - Shari Goldhagen, author of 100 Days of Cake and Family and Other Accidents

"Heartfelt, deliciously funny and compulsively readable, Cherry Blossoms is a profound meditation on grief and the crazy beautiful mess of our most intimate relationships. Kim Hooper writes with deep humanity and pitch perfect dialogue, leaving us cheering for her characters as they grapple with their complex pasts and uncertain futures." -Tracy Barone, author of Happy Family

"Cherry Blossoms is a captivating tale concerned with the age-old themes of love and loss. Kim Hooper manages to take us both sky-high, across an ocean, and down into the depths of our most closely-held thoughts and desires. I was hooked the entire way." - Kemper Donovan, author of The Decent Proposal

"This compelling tale of heartbreak, loss, and, ultimately, redemption unfolds quietly against a backdrop of Japanese language and culture. Thirty-four-year-old advertising copywriter Jonathan Krause is determined to commit suicide, but needs to travel from his home in Los Angeles to Japan to see the cherry blossoms before he can carry out his mission. Alternating between dark humor and a keen understanding of the human condition, Cherry Blossoms shows how the blessings of love and friendship can foster an appreciation of our shared humanity." —Diana Drew, author of Jewish Threads: A Hands-On Guide to Stitching Spiritual Intention into Jewish Fabric Crafts

"This gorgeous, full-hearted novel skillfully cuts to the heart of love and loss— and what’s left to live for. With her raw insights, sharp dialogue and quick-witted gallows humor, Kim Hooper has quickly become one of my must-read authors." —Colleen Oakley, author of Before I Go and Close Enough to Touch

“Introspective chapters [that are] sometimes darkly comic, sometimes wrenching, consider the nature of long-term love, guilt, and the shaping of memory…In its clearest, most beautiful passages, the book accumulates details of [a] couple’s early joy… Cherry Blossoms interrogates what it means to face uncertainty.” – Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews

Interviews

It's a dark subject, but it's funny. While writing it, I found the most interesting aspect to be the tidbits of information about Japan, Japanese culture, and the characters' trip to Japan. The story also has running commentary on love and friendship.

Editorial Reviews

Introspective chapters [that are] sometimes darkly comic, sometimes wrenching, consider the nature of long-term love, guilt, and the shaping of memory…In its clearest, most beautiful passages, the book accumulates details of [a] couple’s early joy… Cherry Blossoms interrogates what it means to face uncertainty.” – Karen Rigby, Foreword Reviews

“A simply stunning read! This novel grabs your attention and won't let go. It’s fascinating, heartfelt, intense, unforgettable, and there is so much info regarding Japanese culture that really adds something to the reading experience. This was my first time reading a Kim Hooper book and I can't wait to see what she writes next…”

– Charlene Martel, The Literary Word

"Hooper gives familiar themes of loss and redemption fresh and inviting life in her entertaining second novel. Jonathan Krause, a copywriter in Los Angeles whose girlfriend, Sara, just left him, has decided to kill himself. He just has to mark off a few to-dos first; paramount among them is taking the trip to Japan he had planned to take with her. Hooper maneuvers the narrative nimbly among Jonathan’s preparations for his trip and his suicide, his meditations on and research into Japanese culture, and his reflections back on his relationship with Sara. After revealing the trajectory of Jonathan and Sara’s relationship with tantalizing languor, the narrative gains momentum when Jonathan meets Riko in his Japanese language class. Riko has her own plans and connection to Japan, and their friendship provides a contrasting element of optimism to Jonathan’s dark intentions... Readers will enjoy riding alongside this vivid protagonist to the end." - Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher