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cibani's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? N/A
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Grief, and Death
writingcaia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It’s slow and it captures you lightly, then it hooks you with the depth of character, the tragedy of life, the truth and feeling of the words. A book about grief, life, and the love that changes you and brings you back from the despair of living and knowing tragedy always looms ahead.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Transphobia and Violence
thomasina's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Mental illness, Transphobia, and Death
Minor: Murder
vaekay's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, Deadnaming, Murder, Stalking, Death of parent, Death, Hate crime, Medical content, and Transphobia
Moderate: Cancer and Alcohol
adawada's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
2.75
The first story in this book has started off very strong for me. I loved the main character’s relationship with kitchens but thought that it wasn’t developed far enough.
The themes of grief in this book have been written very well, especially in the second story. What I couldn’t believe wasMikage’s grief for Eriko being much deeper than for her recently deceased grandmother, despite only knowing Eriko for a very short amount of time.
I thought that the ways of grieving, both alone and collectively were interesting.
What I didn’t like was that most of these characters, in both stories, felt very one dimensional and just blended into each other too much.
Now, what I absolutely hated about this book is the transphobia. There was so much misgendering in the first story which was also at the heart of jokes between the main characters. There was trans shaming in the second story. The idea that both characters just seemed to decide on a whim to either “become women” or “cross-dress” is so appalling. I get that the book was first published in the 80s and that was predominantly the thinking of the time (one could argue that it still is in some cases) but what I don’t get then is that the book still gets so much praise despite the transphobic language.
It wasn’t the worst book. It was my first time reading Yoshimoto’s work and I must say that it didn’t inspire me enough to pick up anything else by her.
The themes of grief in this book have been written very well, especially in the second story. What I couldn’t believe was
I thought that the ways of grieving, both alone and collectively were interesting.
What I didn’t like was that most of these characters, in both stories, felt very one dimensional and just blended into each other too much.
Now, what I absolutely hated about this book is the transphobia. There was so much misgendering in the first story which was also at the heart of jokes between the main characters. There was trans shaming in the second story. The idea that both characters just seemed to decide on a whim to either “become women” or “cross-dress” is so appalling. I get that the book was first published in the 80s and that was predominantly the thinking of the time (one could argue that it still is in some cases) but what I don’t get then is that the book still gets so much praise despite the transphobic language.
It wasn’t the worst book. It was my first time reading Yoshimoto’s work and I must say that it didn’t inspire me enough to pick up anything else by her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Outing, and Transphobia
Minor: Self harm
lidia7's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Spoilers throughout:
This book was a mixed bag for me.
I can see that the author had good intentions but parts of this book did not age well, one of the main characters who is trans is othered, misgendered and her deadname is shared. Her coworker gets a similar treatment. Given that in the second novella (Moonlight Shadow) there's a similar character who is a man grieving for his girlfriend and wearing her clothes, the fact that Eriko transitioned after her wife's death strikes me as odd because it's almost as if it's suggested that Eriko is still a woman because she couldn't let go of her dead wife while Hiiragi stops wearing his girlfriend's clothes once he gets the chance to say goodbye and it's implied he moves on. There's also Eriko's murder, how lgbt characters's lives are often portrayed as tragic and are brutalized in order to move the plot forward? Still, violence against trans women is a real societal issue and it's good to bring awareness to it. I just don't think Banana Yoshimoto was educated enough on trans issues and possibly didn't even know the difference between a trans woman and a drag queen...
Everything I mentioned before *really* took me out of the story so I couldn't connect. I wish the story would be revised at least a little.
The message overall is hopeful even though we follow grieving and lonely characters who are understandably depressed. Kind of reminded me of James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room or Kafka's Metamorphosis - both books and authors that I love but I couldn't love this book. I haven't read a lot of Japanese books but there's a recognizable style. Very hard-hitting, getting to the core of feelings but from a somewhat detached perspective and at times "cheesy".
This book was a mixed bag for me.
I can see that the author had good intentions but parts of this book did not age well, one of the main characters who is trans is othered, misgendered and her deadname is shared. Her coworker gets a similar treatment. Given that in the second novella (Moonlight Shadow) there's a similar character who is a man grieving for his girlfriend and wearing her clothes, the fact that Eriko transitioned after her wife's death strikes me as odd because it's almost as if it's suggested that Eriko is still a woman because she couldn't let go of her dead wife while Hiiragi stops wearing his girlfriend's clothes once he gets the chance to say goodbye and it's implied he moves on. There's also Eriko's murder, how lgbt characters's lives are often portrayed as tragic and are brutalized in order to move the plot forward? Still, violence against trans women is a real societal issue and it's good to bring awareness to it. I just don't think Banana Yoshimoto was educated enough on trans issues and possibly didn't even know the difference between a trans woman and a drag queen...
Everything I mentioned before *really* took me out of the story so I couldn't connect. I wish the story would be revised at least a little.
The message overall is hopeful even though we follow grieving and lonely characters who are understandably depressed. Kind of reminded me of James Baldwin's Giovanni's Room or Kafka's Metamorphosis - both books and authors that I love but I couldn't love this book. I haven't read a lot of Japanese books but there's a recognizable style. Very hard-hitting, getting to the core of feelings but from a somewhat detached perspective and at times "cheesy".
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Transphobia, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Stalking, Murder, Car accident, and Alcohol
marissasa's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This little book tells the stories of women dealing with loss, grief, hope, and love. Kitchen was short and sweet but still deep enough that I grew to love the main character and really rooted for her. Her thoughts and emotions felt so realistic and true to dealing with familial death, and the way she struggled to navigate her relationships and life path forward felt just like the way it is being a woman in your early 20s. Although some of the language is quite outdated, the intent behind Eriko's character was clear and she quickly became my favorite in the story. I am fond of Banana Yoshimoto's writing style and look forward to reading some of her other works in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, and Murder
sophisticatedtwat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Transphobia and Murder
caseyreadslol's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
not much to say, just a juxtapositionally cozy story about grief&loss
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Hate crime and Murder
Minor: Suicide
12dejamoo's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I’m not sure I even quite have the words to describe this book. It’s enchanting. And tragic. But also funny and strange and a little silly. I wanted to cry the whole time, sometimes from sadness, other times from joy, and other times from the sheer beauty of a turn of phrase. It is a privilege to have read this
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death and Murder
Minor: Transphobia and Suicide