The Miracles of the Namiya General Store

Key Words: Kindness from strangers, letters

Unlike other works by Keigo Higashino, the book The Miracles of the Namiya General Store showed more of a warm fairy tale than those tempting murder mystery stories he usually writes. While other books showed despair and poignancy in life, this story tells readers that there is still hope and love. It proved to readers that, beyond friends and families, kindness can also be offered by strangers. Sometimes, the beauty of distance can help people create connections while keeping a decent level of privacy.

Briefly, the story of The Miracles of the Namiya General Store follows three decadent delinquents who accidentally end up in the Namiya General Store seeking refuge after their most recent crime. There, they discovered a letter from the past asking for advice. Out of curiosity, the trio responded. To their surprise, not only did their correspondents respond quickly, but more and more letters came flooding into the general store. Through counseling others and retrospecting their own lives, the trio soon embarks on an adventure that will change their lives and outlook on the world forever. 

I feel like this is basically a book about decision-making in life. The whole book has five sub-stories. As each advice seeker presented their dilemma to the Namiya General Store, readers were able to see all kinds of epitomes of life situations between the lines. Stuff like “Do you pursue your career or lover?” “Do you pick your dream or family?" “The easy but immoral way of life is presented to you; do you accept it or not?” None of those decisions are easy to make; either will swerve you completely to another end. The book tells us there is no right or wrong in life. When unfortunate stuff happens, most of the time you just have to run with whatever you have. All that matters is your choice and your feelings. Whether the ending is warm or sad, it is reality.

Lastly, I’ll share a quote that left me stunned. Here is a paraphrase: 

“Facing a blank map, everyone would feel lost. However, a blank map means everything is opened wide, with the potential to be filled with all possibilities. Hope is a beautiful thing. As long as you keep your faith and belief in your pockets, burning your life without any regrets, your life will always be meaningful.”

Thank you for reading.

Ruijing