‘So you weren’t praised. So what? Regardless of what anyone says or doesn’t say, flowers will always do their best to bloom.’
Next to a quiet suburban apartment block is a seemingly ordinary playground known as Hinode Park. Within that playground sits a well-loved and slightly bemusing hippo—a very old children’s ride that locals affectionately refer to as Kabahiko. Legend has it that touching the hippo’s body can help to heal the same parts of yourself. Kabahiko is the center of this story.
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park is a collection of short stories that loosely connect via the park’s playground. Each chapter is dedicated to a different neighbor: Kanato, who wishes to regain his academic success; Sawa, a new mother searching for her place in the parenting community; Chiahru, a wedding planner who has partially lost her hearing; Yuya, a child who fakes a leg injury to avoid a race; and Kazuhiko, who is slowly losing his sight. Everyone in these stories is missing something, and so they turn to Kabahiko with a mix of skepticism, wonder, and most of all, hope.
Through their stories, we are shown how the hippo’s simple and unassuming presence allows the characters to look at their lives through a different lens. It’s a comforting slice of life collection that examines complex emotions with a gentle hand. Told in first person, we’re given a short but intimate glimpse into these characters’ quirks and what draws them to Kabahiko. Spanning across generations and backgrounds, these stories are intertwined with a yearning for belonging and for understanding, as well as a community that makes the everyday into something special.
The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park is a relaxing and lovely read that will appeal to fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and The Kamogawa Food Detectives. The novel’s main theme of hope will wrap you up in its warm embrace and make you smile with every new life lesson. So, allow yourself to indulge in your whimsy for a while: Perhaps Kabahiko’s healing powers are real, or perhaps his company simply helps these characters to realize what is stopping them from healing. Either way, it doesn’t really matter what you choose to believe about him; The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park will always be there for you.
