The enchanting new novel by the multimillion-copy bestselling author of What You Are Looking
For Is in the Library about five strangers who each seek comfort from a healing hippo ride.
Nestled at the bottom of a five-story apartment block in the community of Advance Hill is the
children' s playground in Hinode Park. If you look to the side standing on stubby legs is
a hippo. Its upturned eyes give it a teary look yet for decades its quiet power has sustained
the hearts of one community. According to urban legend if you touch the exact part of the
hippo where you have an ailment or wound you will see swift signs of recovery. Meet the
apartment residents who each find their way to Kabahiko: Kanato who hopes in vain to recover
the stellar marks he once scored Sawa a new mother with no friends wishes to be able to
communicate as she once did when she was an award-winning retail assistant Chiharu off work
as a wedding-planner longs to listen better for the happiness of others Yuya avoids sports
day with a fake injury only to find he really is in pain Kazuhiko despite his fading eyes
seeks to see life' s everyday wonder. A quietly powerful story of hope friendship and
connection Michiko Aoyama' s beloved bestseller is a celebration of everyday encounters.
Its subtle portrayal of the magic of community will lodge itself in every reader' s heart as
the eclectic cast of characters find healing in their lives—though they may not always find it
in the ways they expect.
