A while back, I wrote a post on cottagecore books – while this isn’t the traditional cottagecore book, it is a heartwarming book set in a small village in a forest and because of that, I think it qualifies as one. Thanks Juliet, for sending me a copy of this book, it’s beautifully translated and I really enjoyed it!

Kamusari Tales Told at Night is the second book in the Forest series. Our narrator and protagonist is Yuki, a young man originally from Yokohama but currently living in the small village of Kamusari. In his spare time, he writes this tale and tells us about what it’s like to live in Kamusari, from the importance of the local god Inari to his romance with Nao.

Yuki is such a delightful narrator! I loved the style of this book – it’s pretty self-aware in the sense that Yuki ‘knows’ he’s writing a story, and I enjoyed how he breaks the fourth wall whenever he wants. Everyone in this book is very likeable, from Yoki (his colleague and landlord), his wife Miho, and granny Shige, to Seiichi, the boss and master of the village. This is a small place where everyone knows everyone else, and in a way, it reminds me of the Fairacre series, which features life in a similarly small village.

As you can probably tell isn’t an overarching plot. Instead, Kamusari Tales Told at Night is basically a collection of short stories in chronological order, as Yuki tells us about his life in the village. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t get invested in the book, on the contrary, the gentle rhythm of the book had me hooked and I found it difficult to put it down. I really wanted to find out what happened next, in the same way that I want to find out what’s going on with my friends when I haven’t met them in a while.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It’s a quiet and charming tale and it really made me miss my time in Japan. This is the second book in the series, so I’m definitely going to be looking for the first book, so I can see how Yuki came to Kamusari and get to know the village all over again.