This book absolutely blew me away. It was somehow simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. For a short book, it had such incredible emotional nuance and depth. I liked how it was organized into three parts based on the three characters that are passing on. It was simple but effective, and allowed a deep look into each character. And each character felt so real. Looking into their most treasured memory gave such quick but meaningful insight into who they are as a person. We have four main characters, with the owner of the studio Hirasaki, and the three people he helps guide, Hatsue, Waniguchi, and Mitsuru. Hirasaki was incredibly compelling, with his patience and kindness and devotion to his job. He also has an air of mystery about him that helped create an overarching plot line. Besides him, Hatsue was my favorite, as she was just so sweet and determined and had lived such a long, amazing life. Her story was so wholesome. Though Waniguchi did grow on me by the end of his part, and I almost cried. I can’t say much about Mitsuru’s part without spoiling some things, but I will say it was happier and more optimistic than I expected based on its synopsis. And it tied the entire book together very well with a clean resolution. So overall this book was absolutely amazing and I cannot recommend it highly enough.