The Lost Souls of Benzaiten by Kelly Murashige is a heart-wrenching and charming book. We begin by meeting Machi, a seventeen-year-old girl who longs for a different life. After a messy end with her previous friends, Sunny and Angel takes place, she becomes mute from the pain they left her in and has been mute ever since then. For the past few years, Machi has been passed around between therapists, trying to help her. One day she decides to visit a lost and abandoned shrine, asking for the goddess to let her become a vacuum cleaner that has no thoughts and simply cleans, as Machi sees no more purpose in being human. Machi thinks nothing of it until she is visited by the goddess of love and humanity herself, able to read her mind and thoughts to communicate. While Machi doesn’t want anymore in life and would rather fade into the background, Benzaiten, the goddess, wants more for Machi, making it her mission to make Machi see the beauty of the world, and that life is worth living. As Benzaiten tries to allow Machi to move past her trauma and past experiences, Machi begins interacting with lost souls, showing her that she can heal and she too has a place in the world.
I found this book quite charming and heart-wrenching as it continues. The plot, story, and characters all flowed very well throughout the novel, and the way we saw characters, especially Machi develop felt very realistic and not forced. This book covered very real-world topics like mental health issues in teens, and I believe it handles those topics well, making it feel more life-like to what many teens deal with today. The Lost Souls of Benzaiten was full of vivid and beautiful imagery that gave me much thought. I felt for the characters, feeling very deeply for them over their personal struggles of love, friendship, and the battle of life. The theme of human connection is ever-present in this book, making it that much more heart-wrenching. Each character interaction feels genuine, not only to Machi, Benzaiten, and the others, but also to real-life situations. To the people who have lost their way, this book is for you, as it provides love and life through the eyes of Machi.
Comments