This Is Amiko, Do You Copy? is a difficult book for me to describe, which I suppose is fitting because I think ideas about communication and how we perceive each other are big components of the narrative. 

Amiko is a free spirited girl with an older brother, and a baby sibling on the way. She's clearly a happy child in her own way, but it's her interactions with family and her school mates that cause friction. Amiko doesn't fit the mold of what constitutes "normal" behavior, and it's clear that she will always be an outsider. 

This is a short book, but it packs a lot of depth and character development. It's hard to talk about some of the things that cause the friction I mentioned above without divulging parts of the books that the reader really should encounter on their own. This book reminded me a lot of Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata in the way that people who don't fit into societal expectations can never really escape those pressures. 

I'm amazed at how quickly Imamura pulls you in, and by the end of this novella (which is a combination of endearing, heartwarming, and a little sad), all I want is for Amiko to grow up and keep being happy in her own way 😭