I have to admit—I didn't connect with this book as deeply as many other readers seemed to.
It's warm, funny, and beautifully written. I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't finish it feeling that it had changed me.
What stayed with me instead was something quieter.
Tova and Cameron were both trapped by the past, just in different ways.
Tova carried everything silently, keeping her grief to herself. Cameron, on the other hand, often blamed the world around him when he felt lost. Yet beneath their struggles, they were both kind people trying to find their place again.
Neither of them was good at asking for help.
And yet, somehow, there were still people willing to stay.
Friends.
Neighbours.
Strangers.
Even an unusually observant octopus.
It reminded me that we rarely know what someone else is carrying.
The person who seems distant may be protecting a broken heart.
The person who seems angry may simply be lonely.
Sometimes a small act of kindness, a conversation, or simply choosing to stay can quietly change someone's life.
Maybe that's why kindness matters.
Not because we expect anything in return.
But because we never really know how much someone needs it.
Be kinder than necessary. Someone may remember it far longer than you'll ever know.
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這本書很溫暖，也很幽默。
真正留在我心裡的，反而是一個很安靜的想法。
Tova 和 Cameron 都被過去困住了，只是方式不同。
Tova 把悲傷藏在心裡，默默承受一切；Cameron 則在迷惘的時候，習慣把挫折歸咎於外在世界。
但他們其實都是善良的人。他們都不太懂得向別人求助。
可是，不知道為什麼，身邊依然有人願意留下來。
朋友。
鄰居。
陌生人。
甚至是一隻特別善於觀察人心的章魚。
這讓我想到，我們永遠不知道別人正背負著什麼。
那個看起來冷漠的人，也許只是一直守護著一顆受傷的心。
那個看起來容易生氣的人，也許只是太孤單了。
有時候，一個小小的善意、一段願意傾聽的對話，或只是選擇陪伴，都可能在不知不覺中改變一個人的人生。
也許，這就是善良的重要。
不是因為我們期待得到回報。
而是因為，我們永遠不知道，一個微小的善意，對另一個人來說，可能有多重要。
多一點善意，勝過你覺得有必要的程度。也許很多年後，對方仍然記得，而你卻從未察覺。