Banana Yoshimoto

Moshi moshi

But life went on, even at times like this, and it was surprising how easy it was to keep going as though nothing had changed. I found it strange that I could walk down the street and appear normal, just like anyone else. That I could be in complete turmoil inside, and yet my reflection in a shop window could look the same as it ever had.

“My memory of that time is patchy. Maybe there never will be a time when I’m able to look back on the whole of it. If life is a process of accumulating more and more things you simply can’t bring yourself to make peace with, well, my feelings about this are vast and deep enough for an entire lifetime’s worth of hang-ups.” 

Ana Robbinson

A surreal and deeply human novel about recovery and rebuilding life after a mysterious death, from an internationally acclaimed Japanese literary sensation

Moshi Moshi

As always with Yoshimoto, I’ve highlighted so many lines that resonated with me. 

The reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because I was so thrown off by the sudden realization of the MC on who she really is in love with. Are age gaps really a thing in Japanese lit?

As always with Yoshimoto, I’ve highlighted so many lines that resonated with me. 

The reason I didn’t give it a higher rating is because I was so thrown off by the sudden realization of the MC on who she really is in love with. Are age gaps really a thing in Japanese lit?

azliana aziz

There's just something really off with this one.
I've loved all of Banana Yoshimoto's and it honestly baffled/saddened me. 

my conclusion: the translation.

"A beautiful translation...Yoshimoto deploys a magically Japanese light touch to emotionally and existentially tough subject matter: domestic disarray, loneliness, identity issues, lovesickness...[a] nimble narrative." ―ELLE In Moshi Moshi, Yoshie’s much–loved musician father has died in a suicide pact with an unknown woman. It is only when Yoshie and her mother move to Shimokitazawa, a traditional Tokyo neighborhood of narrow streets, quirky shops, and friendly residents that they can finally start to put their painful past behind them. However, despite their attempts to move forward, Yoshie is haunted by nightmares in which her father is looking for the phone he left behind on the day he died, or on which she is trying—unsuccessfully—to call him. Is her dead father trying to communicate a message to her through these dreams? With the lightness of touch and surreal detachment that are the hallmarks of her writing, Banana Yoshimoto turns a potential tragedy into a poignant coming–of–age ghost story and a life–affirming homage to the healing powers of community, food, and family.

Laura Mauler

This book was a perfect fit for my quiet mood when I started reading it (yesterday), but today I wasn't feeling it; I had to force myself to finish. LOTS of skimming is the only way I made it through. The best parts throughout were the food descriptions.

Moshi moshi

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