In the Twilight of Our Adolescence is a real gem of a book, touching and thoughtful about growing up and the difficulties of adolescence, especially when you feel different to everyone else. There are three linked stories in the collection and one stand-alone. The three stories follow Tanahashi and Nakagawa, two junior high school boys, as they navigate becoming friends and potentially something more. Tanahashi has always respected Nakagawa’s ability to not care what others think. Even though Tanahashi is popular and good at sports, he feels separate from his friends and puts a lot of pressure on himself to act normal and fit in. Nakagawa’s ability to do things like volunteer to sing a soprano part or to openly say that he likes listening to older music makes Tanahashi think that he is the coolest guy in the school, although Nakagawa is something of a social outsider.
Through the well-loved trope of “I don’t have an umbrella and it’s raining, so we have to share one,” the two boys become friends and then slowly explore their feelings. There’s also tension with Tanahashi’s friend group, as he pulls away from them to spend more time with Nakagawa, and he has to figure out how to deal with a girl’s crush on him. All of this hangs together really well, with a satisfying ending, and the art is perfect for these thoughtful, emotionally incisive stories. I wished I could have spent more time with the two of them and continued to see how they were going to grow and develop.
The stand-alone story is also a sweet, feelings-centric tale of a ghost that haunts a coat helping a young woman gain romantic confidence. I really liked this book and it’s a definite keeper for me. A pleasant bookstore surprise and one I hope more people discover!
