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Stories Woven by Those Left Behind
Episode
If I remember correctly, it all started when I was having a little celebration with two editors.
I had just managed to successfully publish my book, and they invited me to a Chinese restaurant to celebrate the occasion.
I often get asked, what do we talk about in situations like this?
It never is much of a deep conversation.
The topics that day were quite diverse, covering subjects like soccer, unsuccessful purchases, and the time I made some incredibly bad curry.
It was during this conversation that we began talking about television programs.
When I mentioned that I was a fan of a certain, popular TV show, the editors both approved as well, saying, "yes, that is an interesting show."
The program involved a video crew who interviewed people who passed them by in the street, and then accompanied them to their homes.
They would enter the person's home, and then the staff would ask him or her about the things they saw there.
And as they listened to the person's story, you begin to get a sense of that person's life.
Some of the people lived rough lives, others tasted hardships, still others experienced misfortune and bad luck, and then there were those who were not blessed with favorable circumstances, yet continued to work hard toward their goals ... The show introduced viewers to a diverse selection of people's lives.
When watching this program, it makes me realize that ordinary people's lives are incredibly rich and deep.
There is no one who has gone through life without experiencing any problems or issues.
Well, maybe there were people like that, but perhaps the producers removed them from the final broadcast because their stories wouldn't have been interesting enough.
It got me to thinking, everyone has all kinds of things going on in their lives. And many have accepted the trouble and hardships that befell them, overcame those obstacles, and continued to survive.
I felt a measure of relief, knowing that I wasn't the only one going through such difficulties, and it gave me the courage to face tomorrow. That's the kind of show this is.
The two editors and I exchanged our declarations of the stories from the show that were most memorable to ourselves.
And after making those declarations, I said this.
That when I watched this show, it made me realize that in life, there are many different types of farewells.
Farewells are, to begin with, difficult, but unsettled or unresolved farewells are, I believe, especially hard.
I'm talking about cases in which proper goodbyes were not made, and one day, a loved one suddenly disappears.
When I said that I felt that the people who were left behind were unable to resolve their feelings, the editors nodded deeply in agreement.
Seeing their reactions, I then declared, "for my next project, I think I'll write a novel with this very theme."
And then, the editors both said, "that's a great idea."
And that's how the theme of my novel was decided at that Chinese restaurant.
Sometimes, you can arrive at a theme in such a manner, by talking things over about this and that.
This novel depicts the stories of 5 people.
Each of them has experienced an unresolved farewell.
Each of them deals with their feelings of loss in their own way.
And what they see and discover beyond their loss, is unique to each person.
I hope you can experience their stories.
