I keep forgetting what this is due to the cover not resembling the actual artwork at all. It's a story about a young man who has moved back into his small town to run the family farm now that his father has passed. There he meets an eccentric restaurant owner who makes use of his unusual vegetables in the most creative ways. I love how we're placed in the middle of their relationship as opposed to the beginning. The chef is already in love and actively pursuing the farmer, who more than welcomes it. It's a very fun and light story where nothing goes wrong. And that is precisely why we get caught completely off guard with the flashback chapter. He quits his job to move back home and grow vegetables, but nobody buys them because they don't look good. He never even considers giving up, cause this is as close as he can feel to his dead father. After feeling inspired by the chef's determination he learns to reach out to the other farmers. Anyway, this is the type of story where even when it's sad, it's sad in a hopeful way. I cried like a baby but by the end, I felt rather exhilarated.
It's very refreshing to see people who enjoy living in the quiet and peaceful countryside when we're so used to seeing the opposite. This story feels like comfort food, I have read it over 20 times and I'll continue to reread it forever.
Koi Saku Potager