The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 9 December 2000
by Banana Yoshimoto
The book is made up of two novellas, Kitchen and Moonlight Shadow. The first is a wrenching story of how two young people deal with an overwhelming sense of loss. Mikage is a young woman who has just lost her grandmother, her last living relative. She is a strong young character, but the loss is devastating. Mikage takes refuge and finds her happiest moments in kitchens of all kinds. Soon, she finds Yuichi, a young man whose kitchen appeals to her, and who has experienced loss of his own. Together, they explore a tragic world, while maneuvering around their love for one another. The novella is spare, and we are left to infer much of what is going on. Yet much of Yoshimoto's description is very beautiful, and she avoids a predictable ending. Moonlight Shadow is a very similar tale of the grief-stricken getting on with life. Satsuki is young, and her young boyfriend has suddenly died. The pain is more than she can bear, and in the following months, keeps herself busy just to forget the pain. Almost magically, though, other people walk into her life, changing her, bringing her to a sweet acceptance of the tragedy. This novella, half as long as Kitchen is not as dark, and has an enduring sweetness about it, despite its many plot and style similarities. This book was Banana Yoshimoto's first, and it has an uneven sound, youthful. Yet there are beautiful descriptive passages that make it memorable. She is capable of exploring the subtle relationships between people tied together by pain, without slipping into romance. But these are essentially romantic stories. Looking forward to her later books. (Kitchen has also been made into a 1997 movie.)
Also by Yoshimoto: [N.P.]