Goodbye Tsugumi (B. Yoshimoto) is about the coming of age of two cousins, grown up together on the Japanese seaside, and whose ways are about to part. One of the two girls has an undefined illness, which has left her on the verge of dying for most of her life, and which also lets her get away with the most obnoxious and rude behaviour towards the people around her. I was disappointed by this book, having really enjoyed “Amrita” by the same author, but maybe this is due to its translation from Japanese (by M. Emmerich)… the language is rather blunt and crude, while the story is subtle, with a lot of attention for detail of these girls’ lives spending their last summer together. Of course, I’m only speculating, but I really think this subtlety and tenderness, that was so obvious in “Amrita”, got lost in the translation of this book. So, not really recommended; but do read Amrita instead.