Immensely moving and emotionally powerful, Messina’s novel of hope and consolation in the face of unimaginable loss is possessed of a rare empathetic pull. Perfect for fans of The Beekeeper of Aleppo, The Phone Box on the Edge of the World is a heartbreaking work of contemporary fiction.
Exclusive Edition. Contains an extra essay called, Journey to the Wind Phone.
We all have something to tell those we have lost . . .
When Yui loses her mother and daughter in the tsunami, she wonders how she will ever carry on. Yet, in the face of this unthinkable loss, life must somehow continue. Then one day she hears about a man who has an old disused telephone box in his garden. There, those who have lost loved ones find the strength to speak to them and begin to come to terms with their grief. As news of the phone box spreads, people will travel to it from miles around. Soon Yui will make her own pilgrimage to the phone box, too. But once there she cannot bring herself to speak into the receiver. Then she finds Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of their loss.
What happens next will warm your heart, even when it feels as though it is breaking. For when you've lost everything - what can you find?
Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781786580399
Number of pages: 416
Weight: 355 g
Dimensions: 223 x 140 x 40 mm
A story about the dogged survival of hope when all else is lost . . . Messina shows us that even in the face of a terrible tragedy, such as an earthquake or a loss of a child, the small things - a cup of tea, a proffered hand - can offer a way ahead. Its meditative minimalism makes it a striking haiku of the human heart - The Times
Carefully told and with great care, this feels a particularly resonating story right now - Stylist
This beautiful novel tells a story of universal loss and the power of love. It will remain engraved in my heart and mind forever. During these difficult times we face, it addresses questions that we might all have - how to connect with those we have loved and lost and how to allow ourselves to live and to love again. Beautifully written, sensitive and evocative, it paints a picture of an inner and outer world that is infused with both tragedy and hope. It moved me to tears and made me want to speak my own secret thoughts in the phone box at the edge of the world. Absolutely breathtaking and stunning - Christy Lefteri
A message of hope for anyone who is lost, frightened or grieving. Beautiful. - Clare Mackintosh
Incredibly moving. It will break your heart and soothe your soul - Stacey Halls
Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast, expansive meditation on grieving and loss - Heat
Before I got started, I already loved the phone box at the edge of the world. But then I loved everything else. Especially the beautiful prose, powerful but held back, like grief. And the characters - emerging blinking from their tragedies, hurt and hesitant - but ultimately hopeful. It was a joy to read. Mesmerising! - Joanna Glen, author of The Other Half of Augusta Hope
This is a beautiful book. And a timely one. It tells a story about the aftermath of a disaster, long after the disaster. It tells of memories of the first few weeks after horror struck, but more it tells about the years after. If we're not directly affected, we lose sight of the years after that others have to endure. Or survive - Bookbag
The Phone Box at the Edge of the World has such a subtle strength to it. The power to transfer such huge emotion from the page to my heart. It felt like a balm to my soul, one I did not know I needed. For me it is easily one of my books of the year - Waterstones bookseller
Immensely moving and emotionally powerful . . . possessed of a rare empathetic pull - Waterstones bookseller
This book is one to read now - Cosmopolitan
A perfect poignant read - Woman & Home
A balm to the soul in difficult times - Good Housekeeping
All I can say is that I thoroughly recommend this book to all, even if you have not lost someone dear. This book offers a sweet and poignant story, as well as some meaningful messages and a hopeful outlook on life - Escape to the Bookshelf
This an aching sweetness about this novel, with telling details that bring the departed so alive - Saga Magazine
A quiet, elegantly told story of how life goes on after loss. - Press Association
An elegant, elegiac story ... a poignant, atmospheric novel dealing with love, coming to terms with loss and the restoration of one's self. - Daily Mail
A stylish and carefully calibrated meditation upon the nature of loss, grief and the joyously restorative power of love. - The Yorkshire Times
This was a poignant read that brings love, light and hope to a heartbreaking situation - Rea's Book Review
Messina's beautifully-written debut novel of loss and the power of love, provides hope in the most of difficult of times. - Surrey Life
A touching tale of loss and recovery. - Wiltshire Living
Beautifully moving read ... heartbreaking and poignant. - Woman's Own
A quiet, elegantly told story of how life goes on after loss - Leinster Leader
BOOK OF THE MONTH: Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour. - Choice magazine
Strangely beautiful, uplifting and memorable, it's a book to savour - Scottish Herald
Moving, heart-breaking, redemptive - Irish Examiner
A whimsical, moving and uplifting anatomisation of grief and the small miraculous moments that persuade people to start looking forward again. - The Sunday Times
A tale of strength and hope born out of pain ... Messina has captured a grieving nation's soul. - The Lady
Beautiful in its candour ... staggering in its hold on you. More than a story of grief, it points to a fundamental hope in reforming after tragedy, and a celebration of lives well-lived. - Sunday Business Post
When I heard about the story this novel is based on I knew it would be special.
What I wasn't expecting, reading this in my first week of staying at home, was the sense of calm and lightness of being this book...
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I started reading this just as lockdown came into play so reading it has been coloured somewhat by the changes and challenges we are facing in the world today. It's also why I have been slow to read it, lingering... More
You and Takeshi have lost ,loved ones. Yuki has lost her daughter, Takeshi has lost his wife. They meet on their journey to the phone box and a bond is firmly made between them. They are travelling to the wind phone,... More
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