The Lost Souls of Benzaiten

April 29, 2024
Murashige’s fantasy debut follows an outcast teen who, after striking a deal with a Japanese god of fortune, embarks on a transformative journey to discover life’s beauty. Following a friendship fallout, 17-year-old Machi lost “the will to speak.” Now, she ardently wishes she was a robot vacuum cleaner instead of a person: “They’re treated like humans... but no one expects them to be anything more than what they are.” Unexpectedly, the goddess Benzaiten appears and counters Machi’s prayer with a plea that she “realize the beauty of being human and rediscover
my voice.” With each new encounter on Machi’s quest—and each new question posed by her therapist throughout—Machi comes to accept her broken relationships as well as herself. This heartfelt and original exploration of one teen’s reasoning for her way of thinking and her growth into a new version of herself focuses on connection and communication in fun, fantastical ways. Murashige’s fresh blend of Japanese mythology and frank depictions of mental health challenges rendered via simple prose allow readers to relate to Machi’s emotions and struggles and gain new perspective into the complexity of human nature. Ages 14–up. Agent: Savannah Brooks, KT Literary.

May 15, 2024
When 17-year-old Machi makes a wish at an abandoned shrine, the last thing she expects is for a god to appear. It's been a year since Machi stopped talking. No one can make her explain why: not her parents, not the many therapists she's seen, and definitely not Sunny and Angel, her former friends. When Machi's latest therapist suggests that she explore someplace new, Japanese American Machi begrudgingly visits a Shinto shrine, where she prays to be transformed into a robot vacuum cleaner. This unusual request catches the attention of Benzaiten, the shrine's deity who's a God of Fortune. She reveals herself to Machi but refuses to grant her wish. Instead, Benzaiten asks Machi to give her until Tanabata, the summer Star Festival that's just five weeks away, to help her appreciate being human and find her voice. A series of magical field trips ensue, during which Benzaiten demonstrates an affinity for the stranded spirits of deceased children. Despite trying to stay aloof, Machi slowly grows attached to the beautiful, charming Benzaiten. But when the god's affection for an infant spirit turns obsessive, Machi finds herself once more facing her biggest fear: rejection. The story takes a compassionate and introspective approach to emotional trauma in the wake of a codependent friendship. As a narrator, Machi is appealingly wry, expressive, and self-aware. Journal entries interspersed throughout help readers piece together the events that led up to Machi's silence. Written with tenderness and vivid emotion. (content warning) (Fabulism. 12-18)

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June 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 After a particularly brutal friendship breakup, Machi stopped speaking, and she's struggled with her mental health ever since. Now on her seventh therapist and with her parents out of town for weeks, she impulsively stops in an out-of-the-way temple and prays to become a robot vacuum cleaner. The outlandish request brings the Japanese goddess Benzaiten--one of the seven gods of fortune typically tasked with sending spirits of dead children on their way--back to Earth and on a quest to reconnect Machi with hope and other people. Murashige's debut YA novel inventively weaves Japanese mythology and dark humor with themes of mental health, selective mutism, teen friendship dynamics, and connection in unlikely places--because "even robot vacuum cleaners need friends." Teens looking for books without romantic plots can add this to their stacks. Machi is Japanese biracial, and her mother discusses racial discrimination. Includes warnings for mental health struggles, hopelessness, grief, and loss.

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