goldensolace's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
oshean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The book opened my eyes to Japanese literature. It has two different parts stories, "Kitchen" and "Moonlight Shadow". My personal preference leans toward the "Kitchen" one. Both were sweet and heartwarming stories about death, loneliness, loss, grief, and how people find their way to move on without breaking. The first story plot was somewhat shocking, as tragedy struck unexpectedly when everything appeared to be going well.
pialasoobin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
http_essi's review against another edition
Not bad but i just cant get into japanese literature :(
yorickdupon's review against another edition
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
misspalah's review against another edition
4.0
Those women lived their lives happily. They had been taught, probably by caring parents, not to exceed the boundaries of their happiness regardless of what they were doing. But therefore they could never know real joy. Which is better? Who can say? Everyone lives the way she knows best. What I mean by "their happiness" is living a life untouched as much as possible by the knowledge that we are really, all of us, alone. That's not a bad thing. Dressed in their aprons, their smiling faces like flowers, learning to cook, absorbed in their little troubles and perplexities, they fall in love and marry. I think that's great. I wouldn't mind that kind of life. Me, when I'm utterly exhausted by it all, when my skin breaks out, on those lonely evenings when I call my friends again and again and nobody's home, then I despise my own life—my birth, my upbringing, everything. I feel only regret for the whole thing.
- Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
.
.
I think the reason ive never had any penchant towards Japanese Literature is because most of it is hopelessly sad. Dont get me wrong, i love sad stories but with Japanese writers specifically literary fiction, they always invoked some sort of hollowness and longing in me right after finishing their books. The issue is not them, its always me as i always have troubled processing grief. Hence, to be confronted by the book on the regards of mortality and loss of life. One should not be deceived by the cute description of things or characters mentioned in the story. In the midst of those eccentricities of their characters and plot, you can catch that sense of loneliness and despair. The first story titled ‘Kitchen’ brought together Mikage and Yuichi who’ve found each other by sharing their pain of losing someone’s in the family. The strange bonds that they have is due the acceptance of how death has been a common factor in their lives. Both encountered the existentialism dread and wondered how to move on with so much losses to carry ; these emotional baggage to process and without any warning, we readers were also being swept into this big ball of despair after finishing this story. Mikage’s POV is just too good not to share it in the review : “ I try to think about it, but with the kind of worthess thoughts I'm having in the state I'm in, I can't decide anything. I've got to pull myself out of it soon. Now I've got you tangled up in it. The two of us may be in the epicenter of death, but I was hoping to spare you this misery. It could be like this for as long as we stay together." "Yuichi, don't think like that. Let's see what happens,"
.
Moonlight shadow is another short story that featured in the book bearing the same themes like ‘Kitchen’. Its about death and grief. This time instead of 2 strangers sharing their grief, we have Satsuki and Hiiragi comforting each other while both of them lose 2 people at the same time in car accident. Hiiragi have to deal with losing a brother and a girlfriend while Satsuki have to bear losing the love of her life, Hitoshi. I have no issue with this story - it is still incredibly moving despite a simple story but Kitchen was too powerful that putting this story after is almost a crime in itself. Since this is just a 40 pages of short story, i would not review much on it. Let me just share Satsuki’s POV from the story : Sometimes, no matter how intently I would be staring at him, I would have the feeling that Hitoshi wasn't there. So many times, when he was asleep, I felt the need to put my ear to his heart. No matter how bright his smile, I would have to strain my eyes to see him. His facial expressions, the atmosphere around him, always had a kind of transparency. The whole time I was with him there was that feeling of ephemerality, uncertainty. If that was a premonition of what was to come, what a sorrowful one it was. A lover should die after a long lifetime. I lost Hitoshi at the age of twenty, and I suffered from it so much that I felt as if my own life had stopped. The night he died, my soul went away to some other place and I couldn't bring it back. It was impossible to see the world as I had before. My brain ebbed and flowed, unstable, and I passed the days in a relendess state of dull oppression.
.
Overall, if you love an incredibly poignant story, you should not miss this one.
- Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
.
.
I think the reason ive never had any penchant towards Japanese Literature is because most of it is hopelessly sad. Dont get me wrong, i love sad stories but with Japanese writers specifically literary fiction, they always invoked some sort of hollowness and longing in me right after finishing their books. The issue is not them, its always me as i always have troubled processing grief. Hence, to be confronted by the book on the regards of mortality and loss of life. One should not be deceived by the cute description of things or characters mentioned in the story. In the midst of those eccentricities of their characters and plot, you can catch that sense of loneliness and despair. The first story titled ‘Kitchen’ brought together Mikage and Yuichi who’ve found each other by sharing their pain of losing someone’s in the family. The strange bonds that they have is due the acceptance of how death has been a common factor in their lives. Both encountered the existentialism dread and wondered how to move on with so much losses to carry ; these emotional baggage to process and without any warning, we readers were also being swept into this big ball of despair after finishing this story. Mikage’s POV is just too good not to share it in the review : “ I try to think about it, but with the kind of worthess thoughts I'm having in the state I'm in, I can't decide anything. I've got to pull myself out of it soon. Now I've got you tangled up in it. The two of us may be in the epicenter of death, but I was hoping to spare you this misery. It could be like this for as long as we stay together." "Yuichi, don't think like that. Let's see what happens,"
.
Moonlight shadow is another short story that featured in the book bearing the same themes like ‘Kitchen’. Its about death and grief. This time instead of 2 strangers sharing their grief, we have Satsuki and Hiiragi comforting each other while both of them lose 2 people at the same time in car accident. Hiiragi have to deal with losing a brother and a girlfriend while Satsuki have to bear losing the love of her life, Hitoshi. I have no issue with this story - it is still incredibly moving despite a simple story but Kitchen was too powerful that putting this story after is almost a crime in itself. Since this is just a 40 pages of short story, i would not review much on it. Let me just share Satsuki’s POV from the story : Sometimes, no matter how intently I would be staring at him, I would have the feeling that Hitoshi wasn't there. So many times, when he was asleep, I felt the need to put my ear to his heart. No matter how bright his smile, I would have to strain my eyes to see him. His facial expressions, the atmosphere around him, always had a kind of transparency. The whole time I was with him there was that feeling of ephemerality, uncertainty. If that was a premonition of what was to come, what a sorrowful one it was. A lover should die after a long lifetime. I lost Hitoshi at the age of twenty, and I suffered from it so much that I felt as if my own life had stopped. The night he died, my soul went away to some other place and I couldn't bring it back. It was impossible to see the world as I had before. My brain ebbed and flowed, unstable, and I passed the days in a relendess state of dull oppression.
.
Overall, if you love an incredibly poignant story, you should not miss this one.