When the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami hit, a mute, orphaned girl was on her way to live with an uncle, and a young woman was fleeing an abusive marriage. In the shelter where they meet, an old woman with magical gifts orchestrates their move to a home outside the town of Kitsunezaki. There the girl, newly called Hyori; the young woman, now going by Yui; and the old woman, Obachan, become a family. Although Hyori remains mute, she loves the routines they establish and her life with Yui Mama and Obachan; she even makes a good friend in town. But when Obachan realizes that the tsunami freed an evil being that was imprisoned in an underwater cave generations ago, they set off on an extraordinary road trip so she can arrange protection from various spirits. The town has lost so much, however—people who died and those who left in the aftermath of the tsunami—and Obachan knows that it will take hope as well as help to defeat the dark force. This emotionally authentic tale of trauma and healing is a skilled blend of realism and fantasy, with three immensely likable main human characters and a host of intriguing magical spirits (most of them kind, some also funny). Hyori’s and Yui’s back stories make their growing confidence and agency one of many things to celebrate in this imaginative and satisfying tale. (Ages 8-12)