Tokyo Tangents by Robin S. Hasuki is about a piano player and a pharmacist whose paths cross at Asakusa Station. The pharmacist was almost run over by the piano player on his bike. The pharmacist saw a notch in the piano player's neck that could be a match for the key the pharmacist wears around her neck. The pharmacist wears a wind-up key from her little brother’s wind-up car. The brother accidentally destroyed the car beyond repair, and shortly after it happened, he disappeared and was never heard from again. The pharmacist follows the piano player, and he disappears into a secretive platform door. Meanwhile, the pharmacist notices a strange woman in the pharmacy and helps her get home. This encounter made the pharmacist believe that the key around her neck is much more than just a memento of her missing brother.

Tokyo Tangents by Robin S. Hasuki intertwines personal discovery and cultural exploration throughout the story. The pacing allowed me to immerse myself with ease in the surroundings of Tokyo. The writing style is engaging, and the traditions and modernity of Tokyo are blended throughout the plot. The chapters flow into each other and contribute to this outstanding book. The characters are well-developed and deeply connected to their surroundings. The piano player and the pharmacist are set in their ways, but after their brief encounter, everything changes for them. For me, Tokyo was like a living, breathing character in its own right. The book was well-written and kept my attention throughout. I learned a lot about Tokyo’s culture and traditions, and I found it all very interesting.

A pharmacist goes about her duties while maintaining a professional facade to both customers and fellow staff. What they do not realize is that she has a dark secret; a missing brother whose disappearance destroyed the strong bonds that held her family together. Deep down, she still believes she is the one to blame for his disappearance and vows to find her brother one day and bring him back home. A random collision with an eccentric pianist, a fellow Tokyo resident like herself, reactivates her obsession when she sees they appear to share components of a unique wind-up toy she always associated with her brother. Only time will tell if her obsession leads to closure in Robin S. Hasuki's Tokyo Tangents.

Robin S. Hasuki's Tokyo Tangents pays tribute to Tokyo's distinctive character. The author references famous districts and popular delicacies throughout the story, as well as the earthquake tremors that many associate with the city. Sharp readers will notice that Hasuki intentionally leaves several characters unnamed, which reflects the Japanese tendency not to call each other by given names. This storytelling choice deepens the immersive feeling as readers must imagine the pharmacist's and pianist's thought processes as they interact with their quirky office colleagues. Science fiction fans will enjoy the intriguing conversation about keys, doors, and portals between the pharmacist and an eccentric customer. The author skillfully combines these elements with strategically placed clues that unfold like a matryoshka doll. Hasuki deserves praise for a compelling debut in the literary fiction genre.