The Soul Catchers

With the wisdom and heart that charmed readers of Before the Coffee Gets Cold, a magical novel in which eleven souls get the chance to return to the loved ones they left behind in a most unusual way. What if you could come back after death to watch over a a beloved, your soul occupying an object special to them—a treasured mug, a mother's hearing aid, a diary, or even a jungle gym, climbed by the younger sister you will never meet? Eleven recently deceased people, including a homeless man and a five-year-old boy, are offered the chance to remain on the earthy plane, near those they love. Made into a film in Japan in 2021, this heartwarming novel is a soothing, witty, and surprisingly sensual take on the Japanese folk belief that objects can contain the spirits of the dead. Down to earth with a touch of fantasy, The Soul Catchers is charming, profound, and immensely moving work of magical realism—a powerful and original exploration of our eternal need for comfort and connection with those we have lost.

Naoko Higashi is a multi-award-winning Japanese poet, novelist, children's writer and screenwriter. She is best known for her work in the Japanese tanka poetry form. Her fictional work includes The House in the Forest of Threads, which won the thirty-first Tsubota Joji Literature Award and was subsequently made into a television drama. The Soul-Catchers was made into a film in 2021. Her most recent work is The Flannel's Thread. Meet her on Instagram: @Higashinaokoh.