A review by saraaaa
Lucertola by Banana Yoshimoto
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have contrasting opinions about this work. The reading was off to a great start, with a medium-lenght novella, almost a fantasy set in day-to-day activities. Having no idea of what to expect from this book, it's probable that the enthusiasm for this first novella set too high stakes for the next five ones. At first I wondered why the author seemed to prefer male protagonists, - I thought a 1st-person narration would've been easier to manage if the person had the same gender of the writer. But going on with my reading, and finding some female protagonists, I found out the emotional shallowness of the characters was just part of her writing style. Going forward, the daily routine got more and more heavily ordinary, the stories kept getting longer.
So, if Yoshimoto's writing style, yet unknown to me, enraptured me from the first few pages, with its mystic realism, I also got tired of it quickly. It's the kind of collection to keep on your nightstand, to read when in a particular state of mind, only ever once in a while.
So, if Yoshimoto's writing style, yet unknown to me, enraptured me from the first few pages, with its mystic realism, I also got tired of it quickly. It's the kind of collection to keep on your nightstand, to read when in a particular state of mind, only ever once in a while.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide