India, June 7 -- In a literary landscape crowded with tales from beyond the veil, Mizuki Tsujimura's Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon doesn't clamber for attention - instead, it drifts gently through the crowd, offering a quiet space for reflection. It invites you to feel the subtle ache of memory, the sting of regret and most poignantly, the quiet burden of being the one left behind. At first glance, this slim novel fits comfortably within the now-familiar East Asian literary tradition: a constellation of interconnected short stories tied together by a thematic thread. Here, that thread is a mystical figure - a go-between who grants the living one last meeting with the departed. Each encounter offers a final chance: to apologise, to ask, to cry, or simply to say what went unspoken when it mattered most. But Lost Souls isn't interested in the theatrics of the supernatural or the mechanics of the afterlife. Instead, it dwells in the stillness that follows - the hushed, unresolved aftermath. This is a book about ghosts, yes, but far more about the people who continue in their absence. Tsujimura's prose - rendered into elegant English by Yuki Tejima's delicate translation - is what gives the book its quiet power. The language is spare, almost deceptively gentle, yet it carries a deep emotional resonance. Reading it feels like walking through a misty countryside you've never visited, yet inexplicably know. There's an intentional tension running through the narrative: the stories carry immense emotional weight, yet the language floats with lightness. Whether this contrast is deliberate or a reflection of Japanese storytelling sensibilities is left to the reader - but its effect is undeniable. One moment, you're gliding through a simple sentence, and the next, it lands with such quiet devastation that it leaves you breathless. For those seeking plot, Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon centres around individuals yearning for emotional closure. A son longs to ask her mother for advice, years after her passing. A partner aches for one final embrace. The premise is simple, almost predictable - but that's precisely Tsujimura's strength. She uses the familiar to shift focus from what happens to how it feels. It's not about the reunion, but the residue it leaves behind. This is not a book that promises catharsis. Instead, it offers something rarer: emotional ambiguity. The kind of tangled, unresolved feelings that define real grief, enduring love, and the messiness of human connection. Tsujimura doesn't rush to resolve her characters' pain - she simply lets us witness it, sit with it, and recognise it as our own. Even if you haven't experienced this kind of loss, Lost Souls makes you feel its emotional truth in your bones. It is a lyrical, quietly profound collection that slips beneath your skin and stays there. Read it slowly. And don't be surprised if it lingers long after the last page. Title: Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon Author: Mizuki Tsujimura Translator: Yuki Tejima Publisher: Penguin Random House Price: Rs.799...