Train Man | 電車男

This is one of my favorite books, which I would like to introduce to those outside of Asia. It's from Japan, and was such a smash hit, it was made into a movie. The story itself is supposed to be true, taking place in the internet world of message boards.

The cover:


It's not written as a typical novel; instead, the messages have been merely copied and pasted, to create a book.

Inside:


What is the story?
-- It's quite simple and pure: a young guy helps a lady while riding home on the train. She thanks him. They form a friendship and later, begin dating.

What makes this story so special?
-- Several things:
1. The message board format, which reflects how shy, young people in our society are communicating with one another in a unique way.

2. The main character's pure heart. He's never had a girlfriend before, and thus, counts on his friends for advice from what clothes to wear, his hairstyle, how to communicate with the girl, to what to do on a date, etc. He puts so much effort into the relationship, as a girl, how can you not be impressed???

3. Everyone can relate to being shy or feeling awkward. This book shows how we can, with research and resilience from friends, overcome our shyness.

4. It's completely anonymous. If the story IS true, the reader is left wondering, who is Train Man? Who is Lady Hermes? Are they still together? I like the feeling that I might have met these characters IRL (in real life), be it at the bus stop, in the 7-11, etc.

I hope you can find a copy at the bookstore and give it a try. I think you will enjoy it. ^_^

Train Man, by Hitori Nakano, is available through Amazon. Click HERE if you'd like to order it.

**Bonus**
Some readers might be wondering, "What other books do you like?" One is a huge secret, I can't tell you. It's very embarrassing. But I've read that book 7 times already. *sigh*

One I can share with you is: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. It's from Germany. ^_^ I love this book (and the movie too!) because I've always wanted to be sucked into a story and meet the characters. Wouldn't you? When I was 8 years old, I had a big crush on "Atrayu" from the movie. (laugh) I have read this book both in English and the original German.

Another I like is: Anne of Green Gables. It's from Canada, and was given to me by my 4th grade teacher, Ms. Dosaji. She is the reason I became a teacher today. The red-haired main character, Anne, grows up to become a teacher herself. It's known as 赤毛のアン in Japan. Green Gables is real, and I've visited there several times. It's only 1 hour by car from my parent's home. I hope you will try to visit the setting of the book, Prince Edward Island, Canada.