Banana Yoshimoto

The author of Lizard, Amrita, Asleep and Goodbye Tsugumi offers two novellas, one about a young woman's dream about an ex-lover while on a hiking trip, and the other about the sister of a woman lying in a coma. Reprint.

& Hard Luck

Hardboiled

Yoshimoto writes about grief in such a human way; the stories flow as a stream of consciousness would, carrying elements of dreams, reality, past, present and future. I always find a piece of myself in them, no matter how the character is like. It a beautiful, heartwarming read, even though it was a book about death.

deniz

Aura

Yoshimoto’s portrayal of both unnamed narrators in this book about their experience with loss is gentle and wise in its acceptance. This short double novella serves as a gentle reminder of the diversity of human emotions especially regarding grief. 

I’d like to highlight that Yoshimoto’s writing style is approachable and helped me get back into reading this year.

delfi

truly, no one writes about death, grief, and ghosts better than yoshimoto does

charisa

one of banana's more tenebrous and death-centric works, for sure. i don't know how to describe the emotion evoked except that it felt like floating on the resonance of a minor chord, drawn out almost to completion. also, the deep autumnal backdrop was very timely; unlike the glittering summer of goodbye tsugumi, the season painted here is pensive and gloomy, but not yet entirely lost to winter.

Ken Yuen

Yoshimoto is the master of pacing. No matter what, you get caught up in whatever is going on in the character's life. The themes of everyday life, death, and proceeding forward have an everyman appeal which is why I find her books so enjoyable and breezy

Both stories deal with a death of someone close to the protagonist in different ways. While the supernatural aspects of the first story were intriguing, the rawness of the second story felt like experiencing a family member's death firsthand. It really underlines the unfairness of death, but there are also moments of catharsis and a sense that it's important to continue living and moving forward for those who are no longer with us.

junginie

Hardboiled opens as the narrator treks high above her secluded mountain hotel on the anniversary of her lovers death. Hard Luck opens with another female narrator, this time at the bedside of her sister, who lies in a coma. Exploring the ghosts of love, memory, and intimate secrets, these are two haunting and atmospheric tales from Japan's leading female writer.

Hardboiled & Hard Luck

Reviews