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A review by notthatcosta
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Considering I read this based on the cover art catching my eye on a TikTok I watched last year, I wasn't expecting to be so smitten with this book. The conciseness - two developed stories within 150 pages - was enough to make be adore this.
Considering that food is my primary source of joy, the way both stories explore grief and healing through food (albeit in different ways) was both very relatable and very touching. Knowing that this is a translation from a language with practically zero overlap with English makes the pertinence of the book all-the-more impressive.
The economy of Banana Yoshimoto's writing, and the way she creates two fully developed slices of life in such a short number of pages, is everything I look for in a novella. In fact, though I would have liked more time with these stories and these characters, in a sense that encapsulates the melancholy and tragicness of the stories themselves.
Considering that food is my primary source of joy, the way both stories explore grief and healing through food (albeit in different ways) was both very relatable and very touching. Knowing that this is a translation from a language with practically zero overlap with English makes the pertinence of the book all-the-more impressive.
The economy of Banana Yoshimoto's writing, and the way she creates two fully developed slices of life in such a short number of pages, is everything I look for in a novella. In fact, though I would have liked more time with these stories and these characters, in a sense that encapsulates the melancholy and tragicness of the stories themselves.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, and Death of parent