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Pitch Wars … supporting a mentor during a difficult time

Friday, 23 March 2018  |  Posted by Brenda Drake

Pitch Wars mentor, Clarissa Goenawan’s husband was hit by a car and is in critical condition and will need surgery. There’s a GoFundMe page to help with the costs if you’re able to donate. Any little bit helps! Also, Clarissa has canceled all promo events to be with him. Please consider picking up a copy of her debut novel, RAINBIRDS, and/or donating to the GoFundMe page to help them as they go through this most difficult time.

Here’s the link to the GoFundMe page.

And here’s information about Clarissa’s book …

 

Title: Rainbirds

Author: Clarissa Goenawan

Published by: Soho Press

Pub Date: March 6, 2018

Genre: Adult, literary mystery with elements of magical realism

Amazon | B&N | BookDepository | Indiebound

About the Book…

One of the Gooodreads’ 28 of The Season’s Highest-Rated Debuts

Goodreads Link

Clarissa Goenawan’s dark, spellbinding literary debut opens with a murder and shines a spotlight onto life in fictional small-town Japan.

Ren Ishida is nearly finished with graduate school when he receives news of his sister, Keiko’s, sudden death. She was viciously stabbed one rainy night on her way home, and there are no leads. Ren heads to Akakawa to conclude his sister’s affairs, still failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate town years ago.

But Ren soon finds himself picking up where Keiko left off, accepting both her teaching position at a local cram school and the bizarre arrangement of free lodging at a wealthy politician’s mansion in exchange for reading to the man’s catatonic wife.

As he comes to know the figures in Akakawa, from the enigmatic politician to his fellow teachers and a rebellious, alluring student named Rio, Ren delves into his shared childhood with Keiko and what followed, trying to piece together what happened the night of her death. Haunted in his dreams by a young girl who is desperately trying to tell him something, Ren struggles to find solace in the void his sister has left behind.

 

Praises…

«Goenawan’s debut balances a finely wrought plot with patient, measured portraits of fragile relationships, making for a spare yet inviting novel that grabs hold and doesn’t let go.» Publishers Weekly

«Elegantly [combines] a suspenseful mystery with an eloquent meditation on love and loss. »
—HuffPost

«This literary debut is sure to spark your attention.» —Bustle

«Goenawan pens a phenomenal debut that will grab readers from the beginning. «Goenawan’s debut proves to be a soulful whodunit full of deadpan humor and whimsical narrative unpredictability. A witty, well-constructed debut. » Kirkus 

«With its dream sequences, chance encounters and leisurely attention to music and food, this debut novel evokes the simple joys of early Haruki Murakami… A satisfying heartfelt tale about letting go.» —amNewYork

The timing of the tale is nearly perfect, and the writing is both poignant and captivating.» RT Book Reviews

 

Filed: Books, Misc

3 Comments
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