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scytmo's review against another edition
2.0
I’m afraid that this collection of short stories really wasn’t for me, and I left it unfinished 60% of the way through (11 of the 17 stories).
These stories are small slices of life, mostly from the perspective of a foreigner living in Japan. Each little vignette nicely captures a mood, but, while there was a charm in many of them, the mood that was mostly captured seemed to be that of a mundane daily life. The world being painted felt quite grey. Unfortunately, I simply wasn’t engaged by any of the stories, and I found the outcome of most of them to be unremarkable. There were a few times when the author teased me with a what seemed to be a tantalising moment of insight - for example, the subjective nature of “under budget, and on time” in ‘Spinning Wheels’, or ignoring the roots while being captivated by the leaves in ‘The Tree’ - but these were unsatisfyingly underdeveloped.
Maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe the point is to immerse oneself in the grey mundanity of daily life, and enjoy these gentle fables of regret, hubris, and growth.
I did laugh out loud in ‘Burned’, though. And the illustrations are nice.
Thank you #NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for the free review copy of #TakeoutSushi in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
These stories are small slices of life, mostly from the perspective of a foreigner living in Japan. Each little vignette nicely captures a mood, but, while there was a charm in many of them, the mood that was mostly captured seemed to be that of a mundane daily life. The world being painted felt quite grey. Unfortunately, I simply wasn’t engaged by any of the stories, and I found the outcome of most of them to be unremarkable. There were a few times when the author teased me with a what seemed to be a tantalising moment of insight - for example, the subjective nature of “under budget, and on time” in ‘Spinning Wheels’, or ignoring the roots while being captivated by the leaves in ‘The Tree’ - but these were unsatisfyingly underdeveloped.
Maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe the point is to immerse oneself in the grey mundanity of daily life, and enjoy these gentle fables of regret, hubris, and growth.
I did laugh out loud in ‘Burned’, though. And the illustrations are nice.
Thank you #NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for the free review copy of #TakeoutSushi in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
oceans_ofbooks's review
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
leeuhhhh's review against another edition
2.0
I usually enjoy reading collections of short stories, but unfortunately, this particular collection did not do it for me. While some readers might appreciate them, I prefer a collection of short stories with more depth and cohesiveness. I want to FEEL something by the end, or at the very least be entertained. A couple of stories stuck with me, but in general, I didn’t find myself excited to start a new chapter or pick the book back up :(
theirresponsiblereader's review
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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What’s Takeout Sushi About?
This is a collection of 17 stories—13 taking place in contemporary Japan, and 4 in other parts of the world and other times.
It’s difficult to describe a common theme or anything with this collection—you’ve got one crime story, one thing that straddles Science Fiction and Contemporary Fiction, and then a few that fall under slice-of-life kind of things. I’d compare them to the shorter works of Raymond Carver, John Cheever, or John Updike—at least in the kind of stories he’s telling, I’m not equipped to talk about literary quality. I will say that I liked most of these better than almost everything I read by those guys.
Characters in the Stories
Speaking generally, these stories focus on one person, with 1-3 other characters. I guess that’s frequently the case for short stories in general, but as I read it, this collection felt more focused on an individual or two rather than the outside world.
With several of these, I have the impression I got to know the protagonist as well as I do some characters in 400-page novels—Green has a real gift for getting us up close and personal to his characters. And, I guess, we really don’t get to know these people all that well—but in the moment, you’ll be convinced you know them better than their own mothers or psychiatrists.*
* That’s a joke, I can’t imagine any of these people seeing a psychiatrist. Most should, however.
Mawage
There’s probably an entire post to be written about the marriages depicted in the book—and, on the whole, the institution doesn’t come out looking to good. There are a couple of exceptions—and one promises to be better soon after the story’s events (thanks to an oddly sympathetic police officer). But, particularly early on, my notes are full of comments about the strange and (often) strained relationships between husband and wife depicted here.
I will say this—Green is fairly even-handed in what partner is “the problem.” Too many collections like this would tend to paint the wife negatively—or the husband—but Green bounced back and forth between the two.
Basically, don’t give this as a Valentine’s Day gift.
So, what did I think about Takeout Sushi?
Almost every time I talk about a short-story collection, I end up saying something like, “there were some real winners, and some that didn’t do much for me, I expect you’ll find the same (just with a different list of stories in each category).” I hate to repeat myself, buuuuuut…
Now, those that were real winners were just amazingly good. “Laugh out loud from surprise because you didn’t expect to read something that skillfully done and imaginative” good (and occasionally laugh out loud because of the conclusion). Those that didn’t rise to that level (in my estimation, I stress), did absolutely nothing for me. I even re-read a couple of them to see if I could figure out what I missed—I just didn’t understand the point of them. There was one exception to that—the penultimate story, “The Pool.” It was effective and affective—and completely not for me—but at least I got it.
A few years ago, I read a short story by Russell Day called “Not Talking Italics.” It blew me away and started a years-long obsession with Day and his shorter and longer pieces. Green’s “Crimes for Dummies” hit me in almost the same way. My note at the end was just one word: Fantastic. A few others were almost as good (“The Choice”)—or better (“Spinning Wheels”).
I’m not going to say any more about them because it would rid those stories of their punch. But those three more than justify the purchase price of the book—whatever you end up spending on it.
As usual, I’m more than prepared for people to come along and tell me that “The Pool” was brilliant (and explain why), or that “Spinning Wheels” was silly or derivative of something. Because tastes differ—as they should.
In any case, I expect that whoever picks up this collection are going to frequently have a real blast with it—and a couple of things to shrug at before diving into the next one that will get them giddy with excitement.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Neem Tree Press and The Write Reads via NetGalley.
f33lthesun's review
3.0
This is a collection of short stories, most set in Japan, with a few set elsewhere.
There are a range of themes across the stories, with family relationships at the heart of many, as well as moral dilemmas that make the reader wonder if they would make the same decisions if it were them.
A couple of the stories left me thinking deeply about revenge. Not planned revenge but the feeling when something bad happens to someone and their significant other decides, on reflection, that they got what was coming to them after all, now they think about it. A sort of unintended consequence revenge.
Thanks to Neem Tree Press and @The_WriteReads for the eARC for this review.
rebelbadgegirlreads's review
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
avoraciousreader68's review
slow-paced
4.0
Book source ~ TWR Tour
This is a collection of short stories that are just the right length, so you can easily pick it up and put it down as life dictates. I read it pretty much in two sittings, but I happened to have some time to do so. Well-written and fine-tuned, the stories are varied, but they all have one thing in common: they are entertaining.
I’m sitting here trying to decide which one I like the best and which the least. It’s a difficult choice. Apartment 601 intrigues me the most and the ending to The Tree makes me wonder about what the wife means. I don’t like the main characters in a couple of the stories since I think they are a bit mean-spirited or idiotic. I think I like Henry Sparkles the most even though the subject and tone is at times horrifying and sad. The most humorous in my eyes is Burned. I admit to a few chortle-snorts while reading it. As for my least liked, I believe that would be Crime for Dummies.
There’s something for everyone in this collection so I suggest giving it a go!
gabrielastbr's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
inwonder's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25