CATFISH ROLLING

After a great earthquake alters life in Japan, a teen girl navigates a time-distorted world.

Legend says that a giant catfish lives under the islands of Japan, causing earthquakes whenever it twists and turns. Sora Campbell hates that catfish. Seven years earlier, a massive quake altered time, resulting in the disappearances of the Japanese and white Canadian teen’s mother and grandfather. Sora now lives near zones where time flows faster or slower than elsewhere. High school is over, her best friend is leaving for Tokyo, and Sora isn’t sure what the future holds for her. Spending too much time searching in the restricted zones proves dangerous, and she can see the toll it’s taking on her time-obsessed researcher father. When he goes missing, too, Sora (with help from friends) delves deeper into the time zones than anyone has before. Meanwhile, she also develops an unexpected crush on new Okinawan and Black American friend Maya, who is a fellow hafu, or biracial, girl. Poetic, expressive writing creates a fascinating tale blending myth, legend, philosophy, and science. Sora’s journey of self-discovery is rooted in loss, grief, memories, learning to let go, living in the now, and moving forward. Told from Sora’s first-person point of view, the present-day narrative is broken up with memories that add crucial context. Each chapter title page is beautifully illustrated and named after a period of the lunar calendar and its micro-seasons, reflecting an old, nature-based way of telling time.

An intriguing, contemplative tale.