When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao Summary
Overview of When Haru Was Here
When Haru Was Here transforms grief through magical realism, following Eric Ly's queer Vietnamese American journey. From the million-copy bestselling author whose debut dominated the NYT list for 37 weeks, this BookTok-ready heartbreaker promises to make you feel everything.
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Key takeaways
When Loss Becomes Your Shadow
Grief has a way of transforming familiar spaces into hollow echoes of what once was. For Eric, this emptiness first arrives when his sister Jasmine leaves for the University of Michigan, taking with her the comforting sounds of piano that once filled their Skokie home. As she packs, Eric sits cross-legged on her bedroom floor, flipping through old photographs while the scent of their mother's lemongrass cooking wafts through the house. Before leaving, Jasmine extracts a promise from Eric not to tell their parents about her plans to live with her boyfriend Kevin. With his family gone to drop off Jasmine, Eric invites his best friend Daniel over. They end up on the rooftop with pizza boxes between them, gazing at stars. Daniel points out "glitches" in the constellations, insisting they're living in a simulation like The Matrix. "You and I are the only thing that's real," Daniel tells him-words that will haunt Eric later when their fingers accidentally touch, sending warmth through him that he keeps to himself. When Daniel unexpectedly asks if he can kiss him, Eric's heart pounds as he experiences a moment he's imagined countless times. But Daniel is gone now-not just away, but deceased. Nearly a year after Daniel's death, Eric still checks his phone expecting texts. Loss compounds upon loss when we discover that Jasmine, too, has died, though Eric initially keeps this reality at bay, imagining she's merely touring with her band in Amsterdam. How do we continue breathing when the people who gave our lives meaning no longer share the air we breathe?
A Fateful Summer Encounter
The Mysterious Return
Reality Blurs at the Edges
The Painful Path Forward
Art as Salvation
Paper Stars and New Beginnings
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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