Title: The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
Author: Jan-Philipp Sendker
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
ISBN: 9781590514634
Pages: 336
Year: 2012 (originally published in Germany in 2002)
Publisher: Other Press
Source: Review Copy from Publisher via Netgalley
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

Julia’s father, a successful attorney, disappeared four years ago. His path can be tracked from New York City to Asia and then it grows cold. When Julia finds a letter he wrote to a girl named Mi Mi in his hometown in Burma, Julia jumps on a plane to investigate. There she meets U Ba, who tells her the love story of Tin Win and Mi Mi.

Neither Tin Win nor Mi Mi is a complete person to the outside world. Tin Win cannot see and Mi Mi cannot walk. But together they can do anything.

My Thoughts:

I was drawn in immediately. When U Ba calls out to Julia, he grabbed my attention as well. I had to know the rest of the story.

The translation is lovely. I actually had to double-check that it was not originally written in English because the language is just beautiful. But this book isn’t just beautiful words. The love story at its center and the tangential stories within are equally stunning. There are elements that are almost fairytale-like and it is easy to get lost in Tin Win and Mi Mi’s world.

I am keeping my thoughts rather short and annoyingly vague today because I really think you need to experience this book for yourself. I hope a few of you manage not to let this one slip by.

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