My New Year’s resolution this year was to read more Young Adult titles – one that so far has proved far better for my soul than dieting or starting a new exercise regime. The relationship with Sora's dad was sweet and realistic, and the way the author handled grief and intersected it with time was amazing. Catfish Rolling is a heart-aching and deeply thought-provoking coming of age novel from a talented new voice. After Sora's father goes missing, she has no choice but to venture into uncharted spaces within the time zones to find him, her mother and perhaps even the catfish itself.

Instead, I found an incredible, emotive, YA novel that explored parental loss, identity, belonging, isolation, ecology, the fracturing of time, and a complicated parental relationship dealing with memory loss and acting as a carer. Slowing it down, speeding it up, making entire chunks of it go missing, or trapping characters to get lost in times gone by.I was deeply intrigued by the notion of time passing at different rates and would love another book that explores this concept. The earthquake had strucked the largest city in Tohoku region which also caused tsunami that shocked the whole world. The slow pacing mimicked her internal struggles; every page oozing with the pain people only know if they have lost a loved one.

Catfish Rolling is one of those novels where the reader has to do the legwork and interpret its meaning. Personally, it was the depiction of grief, and the intersection of grief and time, that resonated with me the most. I think I first read about this Japanese mythology when I was reading Ruth Ozeki’s “A Tale for the Time Being”. So don't decide whether or not to read this book based on my review since we all experience this differently.Because although the sci-fi/fantasy components are fascinating, complex, and unexplained, there’s a lot more to this book than time travel and shadows with no bodies and catfish god folklore.

After the earthquake we find that time has changed in Japan, and that some areas have time that runs faster, or slower, than “normal”.Every moment with her is a tug of war, and it’s hard to tell if it’s because she is Canadian and Japanese and the cultures are warring within her or if that’s just who she is.

The blurb for the book mentioned that this would be a perfect book for fans of Studio Ghibli and I couldn’t agree more. That catfish took everything dear to Sora: her beloved home, her sense of happiness, and most devastating of all, her mother. Whilst she struggles to socially connect with her peers, she discovers a unique ability to travel in and out of the zones, able to feel the distinct shifts in time. However, I think, the time concept being presented was too heavy, and repetitive at times, without considering readers’ understanding, perhaps? Early recruit Seb is determined to make his parents proud, but when he meets the enigmatic Finn, the boys begin to question the true nature of the institute and the challenges they must complete.And maybe read another review because I have no idea how to explain this book other than to say I loved it. Kumagai is not here to answer your questions; she’s here to trap you in this narrative and keep you so intrigued you can’t escape. Candy Gourlay’s Bone Talk was shortlisted for both the Carnegie medal and the Costa children’s book award.