The House of the Lost on the Cape

FilmFrom the author & translator of the Batchelder Award-winning novel Temple Alley Summer comes the moving story of 3 generations of women adapting to their new home, & its mythical inhabitants, in the tragic aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake disaster.

In the wake of a devastating earthquake & tsunami, Yui, fleeing her violent husband, & Hiyori, a young orphan, are taken in by a strange but kind old lady named Kiwa in the small town of Kitsunezaki​​. The newly formed family finds refuge in a mayoiga, a lost house, perched atop a beautiful cape overlooking the sea. While helping to rebuild Kitsunezaki, the three adapt to their new lives & supernatural new home, slowly healing from their troubled pasts. Kiwa regales Yui & Hiyori with local legends—from the shapeshifting fox-woman who used to roam the mountains, to the demon Agamé & a sea snake who once terrorized the townspeople, preying upon their grief & fears until they trapped the snake & the demon’s claws in an underwater cave.

But when mysterious & sinister events start happening around town, the 3 fear the worst. Did the earthquake release Agamé & the sea snake into the world again? Kiwa, Yui, & Hiyori join forces with a merry band of kappa river spirits, a bold zashiki warashi house spirit, & flying Jizō guardian statues to save their new family & home & banish Agamé & the snake once & for all. Now a hit anime film, The House of the Lost on the Cape is a heartwarming tale about the strength of family & friendship in the face of natural & mythical forces.

°°°

Sachiko Kashiwaba is a prolific writer of children’s & young adult fantasy whose career spans more than 4 decades. Her works have garnered the prestigious Sankei, Shogakukan, & Noma children’s literature awards, & her novel The Marvelous Village Veiled in Mist influenced Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited Away.

Yukiko Saito is a graphic designer & illustrator.