Reviews with content warning for Grief - Moshi Moshi

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto

11 reviews

tamara_joy's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

Yoshimoto's books are so delicately flavoured. This is my favourite one so far; the descriptions of the street make perfect pictures.

Content Warnings

boop123's review

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A character-driven story that tackles subjects of independence, grief, complex familial relationships, finding one's footing after losing a loved one, and the value of cherishing those still living.

I particularly appreciated the mother-daughter relationship as they both grieved Imo's passing in different ways. While Yoshie saw him as a loving father who simply tried his best for his daughter, it doesn't change the fact that he died in a murder-suicide incident with a woman he was romantically involved with. This wholly altered Yoshie's mother's perception of him. I found these contrasting viewpoints intriguing as they highlighted the intricacies of grief, especially when someone dies unexpectedly.

However, I didn’t like the men that Yoshie was getting herself involved with. I don’t know if that’s her coping mechanism but I certainly didn’t like the fact that she was getting with a man who knew her since she was young 💀 I found that plotline very unnecessary.

Overall, it was an okay read, though I feel there are better books out there that explore these themes.

Content Warnings

deyonce54's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

mixuchi's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-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

3.25

Content Warnings

nyankonii's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

tw: romanticized predatory age gap

this was basically daddy issues: the novel.

mc goes through stages of grief after the suicide of her father.
the writing felt stilted but that most likely is the fault of the translation.

she takes a liking to a regular at the bistro she works at bc he reminds her of her father. she then disturbingly develops a crush on her father’s friend. they both acknowledge it’s wrong since he knew her since she was a child, but they hook up anyways…yeah

Content Warnings

sarah984's review

Go to review page

hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really liked that sort of listless feeling of being in your twenties that this book evokes: you're an adult but still really learning what that means, you're having this new sort of adult to adult relationship to your parents, and I feel like that feeling was captured really well. I also loved the sense of place, and the nostalgia and love for a place that was changing.

Unfortunately I felt like the relationship stuff was overall really boring, especially right at the end. All that seemed like it came out of nowhere.

Content Warnings

parasolcrafter's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

the way banana yoshimoto writes makes it feel as if youre hearing a story directly from a friend or loved one; you hear all the good and the bad, all the characters inner thoughts and worries, but you still love them after it all because, ultimately, you care for them. this was sometimes a bit hard to read - the grief was sometimes overwhelming, only for the scene to switch up and leave you with that emotion dragging you down when it no longer fits the words youre reading - but overall i really enjoyed this even if the ending was a bit...rushed? that might not be the perfect word, but it definitely was a bit of a shift from the rest of the book, the ending all happening so fast.

Content Warnings