STORY INFO
Hana, Hanako, Hanabi
-
Author
Zack Powell
-
Categories
-
Danh mục
-
Update
6 months ago
-
Part Chapter
1/??
-
Reads
121
Content
Once, when I was a child, my father took me on a day trip to Nagasaki and said, "This is what can happen when you're not careful." He gestured to the Peace Park around us, the chestnut trees and the memorial statue and the plaques commemorating the atomic bombing. We were alone, save for a few crows roosting in the treetops, but he spoke like he was divulging classified information. "Your great-grandfather, for example. He passed away in the explosion, as did many others like him. Unprepared."He stood with his back to the sun, forc...
Outstanding reviews
Wow, another one! Congrats my friend. Enjoy the parade of yellow dots. :)
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
Thanks, Shuvayon! Was a pleasant surprise to start the morning.
My favorite hermit! (Forgive this late response!)I'm glad the Asian motifs/symbolism translated to the page. Hearing feedback from someone who was raised in that type of household helps tremendously - I greatly appreciate it. And the ending (unsurprisingly) is where I spent the most time. "Gave me chills" is a huge compliment. (Side note: Forever grateful for that line edit!)Best of luck this week too! xoxo
Congrats on the shortlist, friend!
Congrats on the shortlist, friend!
Belated but thank you, Michał! I'm happy to know the complexity in the characters/relationships came through - this piece was a toughie to write and I wasn't sure if I'd given enough depth. This is a nice reassurance that maybe I was on the right track after all!
Congratulations on the shortlist!
Thank you! :)
Thank you! :)
Thank you! :)
Thank you! :)
Thank you! :)
So, although I had an idea and a short scribble, not so much the time, headspace nor equipment, so I'll be skipping this week and cheering from the sidelines! I look forwards to reading your new story and see what tags you tackle this time! Good luck my last minute Lacey! 😁
Hey!! I knew I was going to see this one in the winners' circle! Congrats, have some matcha cookies to celebrate!👏👏👏
💖 Thank you, my dear (I genuinely don't think I would've been in the winners' circle had the story kept its original "green tea cookies/tea powder" snafu). I hope you're enjoying your vacation.Side note: I'm absolutely gutted that your piece didn't get its recognition. Your story was longlisted until the very end, and you had my vote. If I could transfer my shortlist to your story, I would.
How could a piece of writing literally TUG at my heart like that? I genuinely have no ways to describe how much I loved this, which is weird because I can be quite verbose lol. All I have to say is that you built this up and executed the final few moments beautifully. Loved the spiderman imagery as well, it really helped us understand the sort of endearing nature of Cliff
1st story I read in this site since it's black out here in our place and I'm bored. Damn! It was vividly explained. I actually love this short story, it's like I'm watching anime. 💛
Thank you for reading and the nice comment! "It's like I'm watching anime" has to be one of the best compliments I've ever received.
by "cursing my father for being wrong and right" did you mean that she let him do it to prove her dad wrong aswell as him being right. Making cliff take advantage of her?loved the story and writing btw, keep up the great work. This truly gave me chills!!
A late thank you! This is a lovely comment.The "cursing my father" line could absolutely mean what you've said. In my mind, I thought that she definitely let Cliff do what he did because it's what she wanted too, but also that it was something that was inevitable and unavoidable, just like her father warned her. Love your interpretation of the line!
Zack, wonder work as usual. Congrats on being mentioned. More grease to your elbow and more ink to your pen.
Zack, I felt like this story was you really pushing yourself in some new, exciting directions. I love the attention to detail in the language, and the way you interconnected personal themes alongside global ones. What an amazing piece.
Congrats on the shortlist!
Thank you, Aeris! :)
Zack Powell does it again! We'd love you to come on the podcast to share your secrets. Check us out? https://www.readlotswritelots.com/previous/
Thank you, Deidra! I'm not sure I've got many secrets to share, and I'm infinitely better at the written word than the spoken, but I'll highly consider coming on the podcast. It sounds like a lot of fun. (Be forewarned: I've been told I'm a mumbler! 😬)
You have an enthusiastic if not rabid fan base (see the discord channel) and endless talent.And imma stutterer…so we’ll get along famously 😎Check it out when your not too busy World Building and conjuring up magnificent tales:https://www.readlotswritelots.com/previous/
Some Reedsy zaniness here:https://discord.gg/bxTWQw3HJR
Congrats on a very well-earned shortlist!! Everything about this story feels meticulous and carefully placed, but it reads with such ease. Your characters are incredible and written with empathy. Excellent work! I’m looking forward to reading more from you
A late thank you, Claire! My biggest goal in writing is for the characters to come across as empathetic, so this is so lovely to hear. I'm going to check out your new story this weekend - I've heard it's quite good!
A late thank you, Claire! My biggest goal in writing is for the characters to come across as empathetic, so this is so lovely to hear. I'm going to check out your new story this weekend - I've heard it's quite good!
Thanks for this feedback, Scott! You got exactly what I was trying to do with the cookies and with Cliff's character (bonus points for mentioning the Ford). Hard to say definitively who was right and wrong at the end, though I'm with you on parents mostly being right about these things. Life experience, amirite?
This was such a beautifully crafted story! You are such an incredible wordsmith that it was hard for me to keep track of my favorite lines (because I had so many favorites). The imagery and descriptions were so well done. My heart breaks for Hana at the end as she’s caught in this complex, multi-faceted coming of age dilemma. I’m looking forward to reading more of your stories!
Thank you, Jamie! Imagery is my weakness, so it's lovely to hear it worked for you. Your story this week was a lot of fun too - can't wait to see what else you've got as well!
Thank you, Jamie! Imagery is my weakness, so it's lovely to hear it worked for you. Your story this week was a lot of fun too - can't wait to see what else you've got as well!
Thank you, Jamie! Imagery is my weakness, so it's lovely to hear it worked for you. Your story this week was a lot of fun too - can't wait to see what else you've got as well!
Thank you, Jamie! Imagery is my weakness, so it's lovely to hear it worked for you. Your story this week was a lot of fun too - can't wait to see what else you've got as well!
Congrats! I knew this was going to do well :)
Thanks, Kelsey! I reread this and I was like "Hmm...might have to reevaluate my tier listing now. Maybe this piece is better than I thought." Weird how that works.
Everything went great, but then a twist that made the cute little love they had together turn into something darker. Unnamed, drifting, LOST. May I suggest a sequel/prequel for this story? Cliff gets caught in the act by some police officers patrolling by silently, in their blind spot. Cliff eventually escaped. Hana was taken in and put into therapy. They meet again, but Hana has a lover, a girl perhaps, that protected Hana. The lover got heavily injured but survived the attack, and Cliff was arrested.
Nice suggestion, friend. I actually had more planned for these characters in my mind (word limit counts, am I right?), and this gives me even more to think about. I liked Hana a fair deal, so don't be surprised if she pops up again.
I won't be surprised because I predicted that you would write a sequel/prequel. I'm excited to see the next one you write.
I won't be surprised because I predicted that you would write a sequel/prequel. I'm excited to see the next one you write.
I'm always on the lookout for new books to buy, so I appreciate the "No-No Boy" name-drop.You covered everything that I was hoping to achieve in this one to a T. Thanks for the deep reading and the great analysis, Aeris! (Thanks also for mentioning the tone/backstory at the beginning - I almost deleted that stuff halfway through, thinking maybe it wasn't important enough.)
Yeah, it’s a book from the perspective of a Japanese/American man just having been released from a concentration camp shortly after WW2 as he tries to return to life as normal-which is nearly impossible, as Americans didn’t trust him as Japanese and his parents wouldn’t accept him as American. And yes—I think the beginning was vital. It gives the MC that faint connection to her roots, making assimilation all the more complicated.
Yeah, it’s a book from the perspective of a Japanese/American man just having been released from a concentration camp shortly after WW2 as he tries to return to life as normal-which is nearly impossible, as Americans didn’t trust him as Japanese and his parents wouldn’t accept him as American. And yes—I think the beginning was vital. It gives the MC that faint connection to her roots, making assimilation all the more complicated.
Yeah, it’s a book from the perspective of a Japanese/American man just having been released from a concentration camp shortly after WW2 as he tries to return to life as normal-which is nearly impossible, as Americans didn’t trust him as Japanese and his parents wouldn’t accept him as American. And yes—I think the beginning was vital. It gives the MC that faint connection to her roots, making assimilation all the more complicated.
That's what we all are here for, isn't it?😊
Great story, beautifully written, with layers and subtlety. I felt like Hana in the truck, wind in my hair on a warm summer night, relaxing. letting the story take me along for the ride.
Thanks, Heather! Glad to have you along for the ride.
TOP Story