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inkreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
5.0
Takeout Sushi by Christopher Green is agreat collection of short stories based predominantly in contemporary Japan, but not exclusivlely (also Italy, America, South Africa) The theme that connects all of the short stories is a feeling of humanity, humour and the experience of living life. For humour, Burned is my clear favourite and for narrative, the Pool.
The illustrations are whimsical and give a really nice punctuation to each story
A very enjoyable collection and a book that can be read again and again
Thank you to Netgalley, Neem Tree Press and the author Christopher Green for this wonderful ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
The illustrations are whimsical and give a really nice punctuation to each story
A very enjoyable collection and a book that can be read again and again
Thank you to Netgalley, Neem Tree Press and the author Christopher Green for this wonderful ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
roshreviews's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
In a Nutshell: An interesting collection of stories, with most of them set in Japan. Loved the writing style and enjoyed the diverse emotions. Much recommended!
This story collection has, as the title suggests, a strong Japanese flavour. So let me begin by confessing that I am not a fan of Japanese literature. Most Japanese fiction that I tried hasn’t suited my reading tastes, so I generally keep away from this genre. The reason I picked this collection up is... No, no, the sushi had no role to play in my decision; I can’t stand even the thought of sushi! The reason I wanted to read this is that the author is NOT a Japanese! 😁 I know this sounds quite silly to declare, but had the author been Japanese, I would have resisted opting for this. But by virtue of his being an “outsider”, I thought it was a great opportunity to get a look at Japan without risking the writing style’s not working for me yet again.
Usually, I avoid cultural fiction by non-OwnVoices writers as they often tend to be stereotypical. However, author Christopher Green has been a long-time resident of Japan, so his view of Japan has to be somewhat genuine. This factor also worked in favour of my interest.
“Takeout Sushi” is Green’s debut adult fiction collection, with some of the stories being inspired from his own experiences. The tales offer a memorable medley of both nihon-jin (Japanese resident) as well as gaijin (non-Japanese outsider) points of view, possibly due to the author’s dual perspective into the country of his residence.
The seventeen stories in this book are divided across two sections: “Stories of Japan, today”, which has thirteen stories, and “Stories of Other Places and Times”, which has the remaining four stories coming from non-Japanese settings. While I enjoyed most of the tales, the Japanese ones were superior to the rest.
Most of the Japan-centric stories in this collection have the main character as a non-Japanese settled in the country. They are ordinary characters living ordinary lives until one decision of theirs takes a turn for the extraordinary. The stories thus evoke a variety of emotions, ranging from hope to panic to fear to laughter. Each of them impacts the head and the heart!
It would have been easy to write every Japan-based story as a set of experiences of immigrant settlers. However, the stories in this book are absolutely varied in theme, never feeling repetitive or stereotypical, and none of them are about adjusting to the Japanese way of living i.e. the immigrant perspective. I appreciate this writing choice because it gives the book a far widespread range of topics and emotions to explore, and also makes it stand out in the plethora of similar-sounding immigrant narratives.
The stories in the second section offer a slightly different experience. Though these also had variety in content and intriguing characters, somehow they left me wanting more. Again, they aren’t bad stories at all. But in comparison with the outstanding Japanese set, the non-Japanese ones don’t leave as much of an impact. I wouldn’t even have minded if these stories had been skipped in favour of more Japanese experience tales.
Regardless, the writing in both sections is impeccable. Most stories have a clear flow, and whether written in first person or third person, you actually *feel* the narrator’s emotions. The author’s writing seems almost effortless, whether he is penning something funny or serious. The emotions spring genuinely from the situation and don’t feel shovelled into the narrative.
The endings of some of the tales felt a little abrupt. Thankfully, a majority of the stories reach a more realistic finish, if not a perfectly happy one. I like such endings better, but those who want a short story to seal off neatly might be dissatisfied.
Every story is introduced with a little illustration that represents the upcoming tale nicely. These add to the allure.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the seventeen stories, nine stories reached or crossed the 4 star mark. All the remaining stories got between 3-3.5 stars. In other words, not a single bad story for me; all were either good or great. My top favourites were:
🌸 Swallows - The emotions in this tale are stunning. It has a subtle kind of frustration and a hope that stems from nature. I have rarely seen male writers capture women’s feelings so well. (Sorry, that’s gender-biased, I know! But still…) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌸 Burned - Easily, the best story of the book. The title made me assume that it might be a story of a disaster. Well, there was a disaster, but a man-made one. A MAN-made one! 😉 I laughed harder than I should have at this tale. My female-identifying friends, you will have a blast reading this. My male-identifying friends, this might be painful to read, but I hope you will learn a lifesaving lesson from this story. 😂 Fingers crossed that ‘Burned’ wasn't one of the stories inspired by the author's experiences! 😬🤭 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌸 Spinning Wheels - Corporate culture at its best, and worst. Loved how well this incorporates Japanese work ethic into a futuristic premise. All those worried about AI and its repercussions might enjoy this story. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌸 The Jogger - Another story that didn't go the way I expected it to, and ended in an even more memorable way! The ending elevated my rating. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌸 Plastic Irises - This one really took me by surprise because I just didn’t figure out where it was going. The titular plastic irises are a nice metaphor to the content. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
All in all, I loved this unusual story collection. While the setting is primarily Japanese, the stories are more about the people than the place, and the human emotions are universal.
Heartily recommended to all lovers of short fiction and East Asian fiction, and to those who enjoy the journey more than the destination. This is one sushi (and the only sushi) that I’d love to try again!
3.9 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale.
My thanks to TheWriteReads, Neem Tree Press, author Christopher Green, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of “Takeout Sushi”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
This story collection has, as the title suggests, a strong Japanese flavour. So let me begin by confessing that I am not a fan of Japanese literature. Most Japanese fiction that I tried hasn’t suited my reading tastes, so I generally keep away from this genre. The reason I picked this collection up is... No, no, the sushi had no role to play in my decision; I can’t stand even the thought of sushi! The reason I wanted to read this is that the author is NOT a Japanese! 😁 I know this sounds quite silly to declare, but had the author been Japanese, I would have resisted opting for this. But by virtue of his being an “outsider”, I thought it was a great opportunity to get a look at Japan without risking the writing style’s not working for me yet again.
Usually, I avoid cultural fiction by non-OwnVoices writers as they often tend to be stereotypical. However, author Christopher Green has been a long-time resident of Japan, so his view of Japan has to be somewhat genuine. This factor also worked in favour of my interest.
“Takeout Sushi” is Green’s debut adult fiction collection, with some of the stories being inspired from his own experiences. The tales offer a memorable medley of both nihon-jin (Japanese resident) as well as gaijin (non-Japanese outsider) points of view, possibly due to the author’s dual perspective into the country of his residence.
The seventeen stories in this book are divided across two sections: “Stories of Japan, today”, which has thirteen stories, and “Stories of Other Places and Times”, which has the remaining four stories coming from non-Japanese settings. While I enjoyed most of the tales, the Japanese ones were superior to the rest.
Most of the Japan-centric stories in this collection have the main character as a non-Japanese settled in the country. They are ordinary characters living ordinary lives until one decision of theirs takes a turn for the extraordinary. The stories thus evoke a variety of emotions, ranging from hope to panic to fear to laughter. Each of them impacts the head and the heart!
It would have been easy to write every Japan-based story as a set of experiences of immigrant settlers. However, the stories in this book are absolutely varied in theme, never feeling repetitive or stereotypical, and none of them are about adjusting to the Japanese way of living i.e. the immigrant perspective. I appreciate this writing choice because it gives the book a far widespread range of topics and emotions to explore, and also makes it stand out in the plethora of similar-sounding immigrant narratives.
The stories in the second section offer a slightly different experience. Though these also had variety in content and intriguing characters, somehow they left me wanting more. Again, they aren’t bad stories at all. But in comparison with the outstanding Japanese set, the non-Japanese ones don’t leave as much of an impact. I wouldn’t even have minded if these stories had been skipped in favour of more Japanese experience tales.
Regardless, the writing in both sections is impeccable. Most stories have a clear flow, and whether written in first person or third person, you actually *feel* the narrator’s emotions. The author’s writing seems almost effortless, whether he is penning something funny or serious. The emotions spring genuinely from the situation and don’t feel shovelled into the narrative.
The endings of some of the tales felt a little abrupt. Thankfully, a majority of the stories reach a more realistic finish, if not a perfectly happy one. I like such endings better, but those who want a short story to seal off neatly might be dissatisfied.
Every story is introduced with a little illustration that represents the upcoming tale nicely. These add to the allure.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Of the seventeen stories, nine stories reached or crossed the 4 star mark. All the remaining stories got between 3-3.5 stars. In other words, not a single bad story for me; all were either good or great. My top favourites were:
🌸 Swallows - The emotions in this tale are stunning. It has a subtle kind of frustration and a hope that stems from nature. I have rarely seen male writers capture women’s feelings so well. (Sorry, that’s gender-biased, I know! But still…) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌸 Burned - Easily, the best story of the book. The title made me assume that it might be a story of a disaster. Well, there was a disaster, but a man-made one. A MAN-made one! 😉 I laughed harder than I should have at this tale. My female-identifying friends, you will have a blast reading this. My male-identifying friends, this might be painful to read, but I hope you will learn a lifesaving lesson from this story. 😂 Fingers crossed that ‘Burned’ wasn't one of the stories inspired by the author's experiences! 😬🤭 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌸 Spinning Wheels - Corporate culture at its best, and worst. Loved how well this incorporates Japanese work ethic into a futuristic premise. All those worried about AI and its repercussions might enjoy this story. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
🌸 The Jogger - Another story that didn't go the way I expected it to, and ended in an even more memorable way! The ending elevated my rating. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌸 Plastic Irises - This one really took me by surprise because I just didn’t figure out where it was going. The titular plastic irises are a nice metaphor to the content. - ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨
All in all, I loved this unusual story collection. While the setting is primarily Japanese, the stories are more about the people than the place, and the human emotions are universal.
Heartily recommended to all lovers of short fiction and East Asian fiction, and to those who enjoy the journey more than the destination. This is one sushi (and the only sushi) that I’d love to try again!
3.9 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale.
My thanks to TheWriteReads, Neem Tree Press, author Christopher Green, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of “Takeout Sushi”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
claires_loveofbooks2020's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed reading this collection of stories based in Japan. My favourites were 'Bodies', 'The Choice' and 'Venus'. They stuck with me the most as they were all so unique. A lot of the stories have messages behind them, I thought, and I really liked reading this book.
shaerikireads's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
The author of this book is not Japanese. Defends his reasoning for writing the book as having lived in Japan with his wife since 1994. A cis het white man living in Japan does not a Japanese man make. Some of the stories in this book really dance on the line of what’s acceptable for a non Japanese author to write. I’d much rather support the work of an own voices Japanese author, especially given the disparities of publishing statistics between white and minority/ BIPOC authors. Additionally there is a short story in this book that mentions Harry Potter. Again I will remind readers and authors alike that including Harry Potter content of any kind in any work is unacceptable and transphobic. Trans people have shared that due to the authors views and transphobic actions the Harry Potter franchise is no long safe for them and hurts and harms them. This is basic information known within the Bookstagram and LGBTQIAP+ community, and I encourage all authors to never mention the franchise again.
angieoverbooked's review against another edition
5.0
This is an excellent, compelling, and memorable collection. Quite ordinary characters living ordinary lives, but extraordinary and fascinating things happen to them. I definitely recommend this for fans of short stories. I plan to re-read several of them.
chapterchatswithcaroline's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
The beautiful, bright blue cover of this book was so eye-catching that I couldn't resist requesting it. At the time, though, I wasn't expecting much beyond a few short stories set in Japan. However, as I delved into each story, I was glad I had made the right move in requesting it.
Takeout Sushi is a collection of 13 short stories showcasing the complexity of the city and interactions of an humans day-to-day life in Japan. The author, having lived in Japan for some time now, has precisely captured the essence of contemporary Japan and its people, penning each story in a witty manner along with a range of emotions. Each story was meaningful and carries a moral of some kind. The stories mainly focus on a variety of dynamics such as the relationship between husband and wife, boss and employee, the city and its citizens, etc. Additionally, the book includes 4 bonus stories from a different time and setting. This book also showcases some simple illustrations.
Though, I liked most of the stories, here is a glimpse into some of my favourites:
Swallow tells the story of a childless husband and wife who move into a new apartment, where swallows have built their nest. The wife finds comfort in seeing the swallows hatch and grow, but resistance from the husband brings the story to a practical end.
Burned was the most funniest story in the whole book and one of my favourites.This story teaches us never to iron clothes naked. Specially, if you're a man.
Spinning Wheels tells the story of a hardworking employee stripped of his managerial position and transferred to another department when the company decides to hire robots to improve efficiency. What happens next is a disaster, highlighting that robots can never truly replace humans.
Magpie Man is the story of a common office-goer who begins finding unique small lost objects on the road fallen from the pockets on commuters on their way to the station. Instead of returning the objects to the lost and found department, he ends up keeping it in a cookie box in his apartment, which eventually grows into a habit. But what happens in the end forces him to reflect on breaking this habit for good.
Henry Sparkles is another heart-touching story where an artist is called to serve at the Western Front and finds comfort in a sparrowhawk amidst the war.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more from the author in future. Highly recommended if you like short stories and Japanese Lit.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers at Neem Tree Press and Author Christopher Green for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Takeout Sushi is a collection of 13 short stories showcasing the complexity of the city and interactions of an humans day-to-day life in Japan. The author, having lived in Japan for some time now, has precisely captured the essence of contemporary Japan and its people, penning each story in a witty manner along with a range of emotions. Each story was meaningful and carries a moral of some kind. The stories mainly focus on a variety of dynamics such as the relationship between husband and wife, boss and employee, the city and its citizens, etc. Additionally, the book includes 4 bonus stories from a different time and setting. This book also showcases some simple illustrations.
Though, I liked most of the stories, here is a glimpse into some of my favourites:
Swallow tells the story of a childless husband and wife who move into a new apartment, where swallows have built their nest. The wife finds comfort in seeing the swallows hatch and grow, but resistance from the husband brings the story to a practical end.
Burned was the most funniest story in the whole book and one of my favourites.This story teaches us never to iron clothes naked. Specially, if you're a man.
Spinning Wheels tells the story of a hardworking employee stripped of his managerial position and transferred to another department when the company decides to hire robots to improve efficiency. What happens next is a disaster, highlighting that robots can never truly replace humans.
Magpie Man is the story of a common office-goer who begins finding unique small lost objects on the road fallen from the pockets on commuters on their way to the station. Instead of returning the objects to the lost and found department, he ends up keeping it in a cookie box in his apartment, which eventually grows into a habit. But what happens in the end forces him to reflect on breaking this habit for good.
Henry Sparkles is another heart-touching story where an artist is called to serve at the Western Front and finds comfort in a sparrowhawk amidst the war.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading more from the author in future. Highly recommended if you like short stories and Japanese Lit.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers at Neem Tree Press and Author Christopher Green for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
nadjsim's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
3.0
In my effort to break out of my comfort zone and stop only reading a certain kind of book, I'll try out a new collection of short stories every so often, hoping it will inspire and enchant me. However, time after time, I end up being sort of underwhelmed.
Takeout Sushi is a collection of short stories that are mostly set in Japan and inspired by the author's personal life. While I did really enjoy some of them, others seemed almost pointless to me.
However, despite my mixed feelings, I believe any reader would be able to find a story that resonates with them. It's possible that one of the stories that left me feeling underwhelmed could be someone's new favorite.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Takeout Sushi is a collection of short stories that are mostly set in Japan and inspired by the author's personal life. While I did really enjoy some of them, others seemed almost pointless to me.
However, despite my mixed feelings, I believe any reader would be able to find a story that resonates with them. It's possible that one of the stories that left me feeling underwhelmed could be someone's new favorite.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
afra_binte_azad's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
jessica_anna_x's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0