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3.34 AVERAGE
3.34 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I love BY's writing and flow. Overall, I enjoyed following the protagonist's journey in discovering herself and her origins. However, the teacher's subplot of being a sexual predator was random and completely unnecessary. No part of the teacher's awful behavior is addressed, and honestly the other characters dismiss any concerns of inappropriateness.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Giving this a four star almost entirely because of the atmosphere. The book is just gorgeous, serving up a quick little dreamscape of blurry timelines and big existential feelings. The story was fine; engaging enough to keep the book moving. I wasn't thrilled by the almost-incest or student-teacher relationship (why is this such a common theme with Japanese authors?) but there's no denying that this book is a vibe. A quick read, too! Slim, and only as long as it needs to be. Enjoyable. Worth a read.
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Banana's writing hits in this book - the descriptions of emotion and scenery are absolutely gorgeous. The plot is taboo and uncomfy throughout the book though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest
Minor: Death of parent
2.5 ★
I can excuse freaky plot depending on the vibe of it's overall story but here? Here it just seems so out-of-place. It's such a quiet and serene book, lamenting the protagonist's mysterious past that constantly haunted her yet she also didn't feel that much emotional connection to it. As always I'm captivated by Yoshimoto-Sensei's beautiful prose, how she describes mundane things and the strange people that interact around them. But I simply can't get pass the weird taboo romance, I had hoped that it wouldn't go into that direction but alas. As much as I love Yoshimoto-Sensei, I can't defend her on this one
I can excuse freaky plot depending on the vibe of it's overall story but here? Here it just seems so out-of-place. It's such a quiet and serene book, lamenting the protagonist's mysterious past that constantly haunted her yet she also didn't feel that much emotional connection to it. As always I'm captivated by Yoshimoto-Sensei's beautiful prose, how she describes mundane things and the strange people that interact around them. But I simply can't get pass the weird taboo romance, I had hoped that it wouldn't go into that direction but alas. As much as I love Yoshimoto-Sensei, I can't defend her on this one
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm giving this 2.75 because there's something extraordinary about it, and yet if I give it a 3 I'd be saying I enjoyed it, and I don't think I did. I'm actually not entirely sure! I feel like I grasped like a quarter of the metaphor of the whole thing -- family complications, growing up, the way secrets fester. All I can say for sure is I'm glad I didn't let the strange moralizing in other reviews I saw dissuade me from finishing. This one will be on my mind a while.
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No