The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park: Read it or Skip it?

Hi Readers! When I read a debut book and I love it, I usually immediately read whatever the authors write next. It’s only human nature, isn’t it? It’s also a 50-50 chance that the second book can either be even more amazing or go in the opposite direction. This past week, I read two books which were the second books of authors whose first books I had loved and enjoyed. But, I was not that happy with them. At least I took a chance, right? Read more to find out why The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park wasn’t for me but if it could possibly for you.

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

The enchanting new novel by the multimillion-copy bestselling author of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, about five strangers who each seek comfort from a healing hippo ride.

Nestled at the bottom of a five-story apartment block in the community of Advance Hill is the children’s playground in Hinode Park, where you will find a very special age-old hippo ride named Kabahiko. According to urban legend, if you touch the exact part of the hippo where you have an ailment or wound, you will see swift signs of recovery. They call it “Healing Hippo.”

In The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park, the apartment residents each find their way to Kabahiko, confessing their troubles and drawing upon the hippo’s rumored abilities. From a struggling student who pets the hippo’s head to reverse his poor academic performance to the lonely new mother who hopes that touching the hippo’s mouth will allow her to better express herself, this heartwarming, eclectic cast of characters will all come to Kabahiko for healing in their lives—though they may not always find it in the ways they expect.

With Aoyama’s classic charm and emotional power, The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park is a deeply moving celebration of kindness, community and understanding.

~~THOUGHTS~~

The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park consists of five short stories centred around characters living at a condominium called Advance Hill close to which is the somewhat-secluded Hinode Park where the Healing Hippo or as the say Healing Kabahiko is stationed. The premise is that if you touch the part of the Hippo where you are feeling pain, the hippo heals you. When it comes to healing fiction or feel-good books, it’s always tricky. Some of them are life-changing because they have these mini life lessons that speak to you in volumes. But, then in some others, there is nothing relatable so it becomes a little juvenile or silly to read. With Michiko Aoyama’s first book ‘What You Are Looking For is in the Library’, it was the former scenario, but with the second book, it was the latter.

I liked only one of the five stories, almost in its entirety. With others, there were a few sentences here and there which were insightful. In ‘Kanato’s Head’, we understand the value in honesty and giving your best effort for your own sake. In ‘Sawa’s Mouth’, we understand the value in speaking up and letting go of our fears so that we become our most authentic selves. In ‘Chiharu’s Ears’, we understand the value in courage and to face uncomfortable situations rather than running away from them. In ‘Yuya’s Leg’, we understand the value in empathy and kindness and how instead of letting our imagination run amok, we need to be mindful and present. In ‘Kazuhiko’s Eyes’, we understand the value in aging gracefully and communication rather than believing in baseless assumptions.

I guess that with translations, I never really know if it was the original text or the translation because of which I did not like the book. In this book, the number of times ‘Advance Hill’ is mentioned, you would think the book is a promo advertisement for the condos. There was no need to have all the characters as residents of Advance Hill. In fact, there was no need for us to know where they all lived. The common factor could have been the park alone. As for the actual ‘healing hippo’, I did not enjoy the concept. It should have been a combination of magical realism and healing fiction to make it more interesting. Also, a few stories felt a bit meaningless with a big disconnect from the story title, the Hippo and the actual lesson. It could be that the stories were not relatable, which is why I did not enjoy this book as much. I have rated The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama, translated by Takami Nieda at 2/5 stars!

Until next time,