But two of my favourite that I made a note of were both moments of realisation and growth at different points in the story: There were so many beautifully crafted sentences that I know I will have to reread it to find them all once again. I really enjoyed Yoshimoto’s storytelling style, and the sparse translation gave it that quintessentially Japanese feel of implying so much with so few words. It is an achingly sad story about moving on, and though I preferred Miakge’s story this one was also lovely in its sadness. In just 40 pages Banana Yoshimoto explores teenage love, and once again, the different ways we each deal with grief. The second tale, which occupies the third part of the book is ‘Moonlight Shadow’. The story explores the nature of loneliness, the pain of grief, and the gentle healing of companionship. The first tale, which unfolds across Part 1 ‘Kitchen’ and Part 2 ‘Full Moon’ deals with the grief of Mikage after the death of her grandmother, and the family of mother and son who take her in. It has the depth and character development of a much longer novel, which was a surprise to me. Usually I would call this a novella, but there is something about the narrative that, despite its word count, feels whole. There are three parts to this tiny 160 page book, and 2 distinct stories. A haunting, beautiful little novel about grief, loneliness, and the solace we find in others.
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