Komorebi, by Marie-Diane Meissirel

Fifth novel by Marie-Diane Meissirel (2026), Aoyama Éditions, 136 pages.

Before the story, there is the book itself, infinitely delicate. The thickness of the paper and the cover, and the beauty of the black-and-white photographs, add a new dimension to the pages. I wanted to highlight the quality of the production, which makes the reading experience all the more pleasant.

A forbidden friendship between a British researcher and a Japanese photographer, born in 1945 in the heart of the botanical garden of Syonan-to (the name given to Singapore under Japanese occupation), becomes the breeding ground for an unexpected family destiny spanning France, Japan, and Singapore. A luminous, deeply poetic novel that reveals, in a single movement, both the violence of men and the magnificence of lush nature, without losing sight of hope: a peace kept secret, sealed by a jade Buddha and a mischievous squirrel.

A young publishing house that I warmly recommend.