Resonant Themes Echo Through Imaginative Storytelling

A young Monika used to believe that life awaited us at the end of the tunnel, a twist on the common phrase which, to her, meant perseverance through hard times would be rewarded with a better life. Yesterday, Monika graduated from high school and she has changed. She thinks that it would be better to find another life, being another person might be better than grasping at the light or life at the end of the tunnel.

This change in Monika's perspective has been built up on the losses she has experienced during her lifetime. Monika feels unable to move towards her future, unlike her best friend Thea; who is headed to Columbia College in the fall. Monika can’t help but compare herself to her friend, which causes a rift in their relationship. For Monika, Thea is a reminder of a life she is missing out on. This year Monika lost Shun, a classmate who didn’t make it to graduation. When it seems as though nothing else can mend her wounds, Monika turns to legend, her last hope of bringing him back. A tunnel, said to test anyone who wants to resurrect a dead soul. The tests within the tunnel, bring a whirlwind of  memories best not remembered and unspeakable secrets. Its name, accurately given, is the Yomigaeri Tunnel, "yomigaeri" being the Japanese word for resurrection. 

Monika ventures into the tunnel accompanied by an unlikely companion, Shiori. Memories ensnare Shiori and Monika deeper into the tunnel until they come to terms with the heaviest losses of their life. And, although Shiori isn’t exactly an optimist, the two girls bond over their losses in a sometimes awkward but incredibly realistic way. The conversations in the book are written with such a genuine quality that makes The Yomigaeri Tunnel an enjoyable and healing read.  Murashige has a knack for making you fall in love with characters which makes their pain feel like your own. Monika's complex feelings for her family and her classmate, Shun, were clear to see in their dialogue.  These transcendent interactions between the living and the dead gave Murashige the opportunity to show, not tell, how people process grief. 

Another aspect of The Yomigaeri Tunnel that stood out to me was Monika’s connection to a game called Bitter Mouse. Her love of the game comes from its incredible soundtrack, its mental health storyline, and attention to dissociation, addiction and grief. Monika also has a deeper connection to the game because of her ties to its creator, Arturo Harris, who struggles with addiction. As a reader, this book was to me what Bitter Mouse was to Monika, a comforting, healing, and cathartic experience.

The Yomigaeri Tunnel is woven with a fabric of hope that I want to wrap myself in. Seeing Monika process her losses helped me better understand my own in ways that I hadn’t been conscious of before. Murashige delivers a powerful perspective to her young adult audience on mental health with her resonant sincerity and exceptional flair. 

The Yomigaeri Tunnel is out July 1st.

Lead photo: Cover of The Yomigaeri Tunnel from Soho Press Inc.

This article was written on special assignment through the TeenTix Press Corps. The TeenTix Press Corps promotes critical thinking, communication, and information literacy through criticism and journalism practice for teens. For more information about the Press Corps program see HERE.