Hello Loves!
This year I decided to actively participate in Japanuary, a reading challenge/theme where people read some Japanese books in January.
I knew I didn't want to ONLY read Japanese books all month long, that kind of commitment I only make for Indian Books in August. But I wanted to read a handful books from Japan. And I did just that. I honestly thought I'd read like one book but to my surprise I read 6 books and now let's talk about them.
1. The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto, translation by Asa Yoneda: I read Kitchen by the same author last year, after hearing nothing but great things about it for ages. I didn't quite love as much as so many other people seem to. I liked it enough but I didn't love it.
So I picked this one up with some trepidation.
This novella is a story of young woman of nineteen, who uncovers a big secret related to her family and herself.
OK not a real Spoiler Alert but she finds out she was adopted into her family and the woman she thinks of as her eccentric aunt is actually her biological sister. This revelation and excavation of old memories makes her go on a journey of self-discovery, connect with her aunt and figure out some odd feelings.
I did enjoy the writing and the whole feel and atmosphere of this book.
BUT..
OK, let's get into some problematic aspects.
For one, our protagonist finds out she is not related to her family by blood or biology and sorta almost immediately develops some feelings for her little brother. I mean the boy who she's thought of as her little brother her whole life. She finds out they don't share similar DNA and she's like..ooohhh let me hit that.
What?
How messed up is this?
Then there is eccentric aunt/biological elder sister who has her own can of worms. She's a music teacher in a high school, who had a relationship with one of her students, got pregnant, got an abortion and is now ghosting said ex-student/person she groomed/abused.
As I was reading this, I kept gasping and feeling a little sick about said things.
It definitely left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn't look past it.
Rating: 2.5/5
2. Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, Translation by Alison Watts: This book was so sweet and wholesome and sad and cozy and heartbreaking all at once. It was such a comforting read and at the same time taught me something new.
It's mainly about two characters. A young man, who has made some mistakes in his past and now is a little lost and working rather listlessly in a pancake shop. Enter an old lady who has obviously deformed hands (and secrets of her own) but a killer recipe for the most perfect sweet bean paste and a refreshing look at life, even though her life has been...let's just say...rather unfair and bleak.
I love books about two unlikely allies coming together and teaching each other some valuable life lessons.
I especially love books about kindly older people.
This is such a good book, I cannot recommend it enough.
Rating: 4/5
3. Himawari House by Harmony Becker: I am so glad I even managed to squeeze in a graphic novel from Japan this month! I adore graphic novels and this one was quite lovely.
About three girls, sharing a home for a year in Tokyo, this a story of finding kinship, growing up and resolving some issues. We have a Japanese American girl, a Korean girl and a girl from Singapore- each grappling with some unresolved issues. Love, heart-break, identity and friendship forms the crux of this tale.
I really enjoyed all the story lines and how realistic they came across as.
The art was really pretty too.
Rating: 4/5
4. What You Are Looking for is in the Library by Michiko Aoyoma, translation by Alison Watts: This book is perfect for anyone who loves books, libraries, a touch of magical realism and just oodles of warmth and kind and sweet people. These are interconnected short stories all connected to a little community center and a library and a librarian with the knack of recommending the perfect book to help you out. God, I wanted to step into this world.
So good.
Worth all the hype. Pick this up.
Rating: 4.5/5
5. Strangers by Taichi Yamada, translation by Wayne P. Lammers: I also managed to read a spooky book for Japanuary. This one is about a forty something year old man, recently divorced and lonely and living out of his work space. He meets an neighbour and begins a relationship. But the thing driving him crazy is running into his deceased parents, still living in his old neighbourhood and at the same age as they were when they passed away decades ago. Hmmm...mysterious..mildly spooky.
Frankly, this was a OK read.
I didn't particularly love it.
Very very mid.
Rating: 2/5
6. She and Her Cat by Makota Shinkai and Naruki Nagakawa, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori: Japanese books and Cats are a match made in heaven.
🐱🐱🐱
This one is once again a set of interconnected stories set in the same neighbourhood and told from both human and kitty perspectives.
Sweet, occasionally sad and just exactly what you expect from some classic Japanese stories.
I enjoyed this quite a bit.
Rating: 3/5
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