The Lost Ryu

I’m a little late on my review of The Lost Ryu by Emi Watanabe Cohen, because when the package arrived it was promptly stolen by a friend. Apparently she’s got a thing for dragons. And frankly who doesn’t? The majestic fire breathers are delightful in any shape or form, which is why readers will immediately understand why main character Kohei is so sad that large dragons, or Ryu, disappeared right around the time of World War II.

Kohei’s interest in dragons is not purely nostalgic. While small Ryu, like Kohei’s own personal dragon, still exist, the larger ones are nowhere to be found. Yet somehow Kohei still remembers them, and this memory is the last time in which he saw his grandfather smile. When grandfather’s health takes a turn for the worse, Kohei is convinced that solving the mystery of lost Ryu will help heal him.

Joining Kohei on this mission is his new neighbor, Isolde recently arrived from America. The pair team up and devise a plan to hatch a new dragon, jointly parented by Kohei’s Ryu and Isolde’s Ryu – a yiddish speaking dragon. For Isolde, the existence of an East-West dragon (these are the words used by the dragons in the book to describe the new hatchling) represents confirmation that she herself is not alone in being part Jewish and part Japanese.

As expected, things do not go according to plan. Kohei uncovers some heavy hitting truth about his father, his family, the War, and his own tricky memories. As this unfolds I was reminded of how malleable my own childhood memories are. How I cherry pick the ones I care to hold onto. How this is sometimes a gift.

As the story wraps up the reader is left with a greater understanding of World War II (albeit with dragons) in a way that is still appropriate for younger readers. Grump certainly enjoyed it. As for me? I was sold the moment the Yiddish speaking dragon appeared.

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E Broderick is a writer and speculative fiction enthusiast. When not writing she enjoys epic games of trivial pursuit and baking. She currently lives in the U.S. but is eagerly awaiting the day a sentient spaceship offers to take her traveling around the galaxy.