LOST SOULS MEET UNDER A FULL MOON

Mizuki Tsujimura

Translated by Yuki Tejima

This reading group guide for LOST SOULS MEET UNDER A FULL MOON includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.

Introduction

Ayumi Shibuya is a “go-between.” He arranges one-time meetings between the living and the dead at no cost. After his clients conclude their visits, he asks for feedback on their encounters. Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon is a charming, deeply affecting novel that unravels the complexities of human emotion through these supernatural rendezvous.

Topics & Questions for Discussion

1. The four meetings that take place are between a fan and a TV star, a son and his mother, two friends turned rivals, and a man and his long-lost love. Discuss what you thought of this range of encounters and if you had a favorite.

2. Ayumi’s clients have different reactions upon first meeting him. Some think of him as mysterious, and others consider him precocious. What was your first impression of Ayumi?

3. There are a few ground rules for these meetings: each reunion is a one-time arrangement that the dead can refuse, the service is entirely free, and the meeting must take place during a full moon. Discuss these rules and why it’s significant from the living clients’ perspective that the go-between does not accept payment.

4. Yasuhiko Hatada sets up a meeting, but he is distrustful of the whole experience, thinking it’s a scam, even though the service is free. Why is it important to him to hold on to, or at least assert, this belief?

5. By the end of each chapter, each person has uncovered something previously unknown or misunderstood. Talk about this element of mystery and how it works in each chapter, as well as the novel as a whole .

6. One of the most complicated relationships in the novel is between the teenagers Natsu Misono and Misa Arashi. Talk about the girls’ dynamic and what the purpose of their final words was for each of them.

7. In the chapter “The Rule of Lost Love,” the novel introduces an interesting concept: by requesting a meeting, you might be able to learn if someone is or is not dead. Consider this revelation and discuss what the implications may be.

8. We eventually learn the mechanics of how the go-between contacts the departed and manifests them for these meetings. Discuss your thoughts on the behind-the-scenes aspects of the job.

9. After reading about the clients’ experiences, we learn more about the go-between himself. What was most illuminating to learn about Ayumi’s family, history, and relationships?

10. In “The Rule of the Go-Between,” we get to learn more about each of the previous encounters from Ayumi’s interaction with the deceased. What does the additional perspective do for your understanding of each of the meetings? Are the events further clarified or obscured with the new information?

11. In the first chapter, Manami says, “There’s a euphemism that goes: Your soul catches a cold” (page 18). What do you make of this saying in relation to the events of the novel?

12. At one point, Ayumi states “the dead existed for the sake of the living” (page 244). Consider this sentiment and discuss if this resonates with you and what it might mean.

13. Tsujimura has already written a companion novel to this one called How to Hold Someone in Your Heart that follows a now-adult Ayumi. How does knowing Ayumi’s story goes on affect your reading experience of Lost Souls Meet Under a Full Moon?

14. If you had the chance to request a meeting with someone who has passed away, who would you request and why?

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Read Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel Lonely Castle in the Mirror. What observations can you make across both novels?

2. The “mediums of Mount Osore” are mentioned a few times in the novel as a way to explain what the go-between is not (page 5). Mount Osore, also referred to as “Mountain of Horror” or “Fear Mountain” is a sacred Buddhist site in Japan. Research this mountain and the spiritual mediums associated with it and discuss why the author referenced these practices.

3. For further reading, consider books such as Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa, and What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama.