A Thousand Gates of Prayer: A Timeless Love Novel by Michael Weiss; Coppell, Texas; Timeless Love Publishing; © 2025; ISBN 9789657-867006; 193 pages; $11.99 Amazon.
LA MESA, California – The love story set in the hills of Hakone, Japan, revolves around Miyuki and her family, who have lived in this area for generations and are steeped in ancient customs. Miyuki, her brother, and father go up the hillside to collect black eggs from the volcanic ash, which are perceived to be good luck. Miyuki’s brother gets burned from the volcanic steam, and the collecting and selling of the black eggs is Miyuki’s responsibility as her brother recovers. She decides she would like to apply for college and leave the small village, but has not told her parents.
One day, a tourist visits and buys all her eggs and asks her to sell the rest. Miyuki and Masahiro, the son of a wealthy family from Kyoto, start to fall in love and are torn between family expectations. Masahiro’s family would like to add hotels and casinos to the area, which would destroy the rich ancestral history. The villagers refuse to be bought out and will not leave. Miyuki’s family would like Masahiro to stop visiting her, so they meet at secret spots along the hillside to be together.
This was Israeli author Weiss’s first novel, and, in the preface, he mentioned the story being written from a family vacation he took and the majestic views of Mount Fuji. As I read the novel, I could imagine the hillsides of Hakone, see the steam/humidity from the volcano, and how the village was green and plentiful with the villagers growing all their vegetables.
I recommend this novel as a good summertime read since I kept flipping the pages, wondering what would happen next, and imagining how beautiful it must be in that part of Japan.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.