Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

7 reviews

syinhui's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Cold and gloomy. Whimsical and serene. Charming and quirky characters.

The quiet melancholy and gentle but sorrowful atmosphere of these two novellas seem to be a perfect read for cold nights or rainy afternoons.  While the themes of death and loss are central in Kitchen and Moonlight Shadow,  it’s also about the process of healing and finding comfort in the most mundane things. The kitchen becomes a place of solace. Good food is like a soothing balm for a tired and wounded spirit.  

As someone who also has an affinity for kitchens and loves cooking, I found myself inevitably drawn to the titular story, Kitchen. I’ve always had a certain fondness for books that offer exquisite descriptions and appreciation of food and eating. While the prose is rather simplistic and I think the approach to character dynamics and relationships is sometimes a bit too shoujo-esque or slice-of-life for my tastes, some lines relating to food and the transformative power of shared meals  - turning ordinary into something extraordinary and deeply touching really resonated with me. 

Truly happy memories always live on, shining. Over time, one by one, they come back to life. The meals we ate together, numberless afternoons and evenings.
When was it that Yuichi said to me, "Why is it that everything I eat when I'm with you is so delicious?"

"It's amazing how good this is," I said. The tempura on rice we were eating, seated at the counter in this new little shop smelling of fresh wood, was so good it revived my appetite.
"Isn't it?" said Hiiragi.
"Yes. It's delicious. So delicious it makes me grateful I'm alive."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Terminal illness

iw4kur4l4in's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Gave me a newfound hope for life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Murder, and Death

Minor: Cancer, Alcohol, Hate crime, and Terminal illness

agnesbebon's review

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Death, Transphobia, Violence, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Grief

spookily's review

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Transphobia

Moderate: Blood, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Hate crime, and Alcohol

Minor: Stalking, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, and Terminal illness

sarah984's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

"Kitchen" contains two novellas about recovering from the death of a loved one, and helping others cope with loss. Both stories were sweet and melancholy. However I did want a little more from the titular story (it dwelled a little too long on the will they won't they romantic relationship stuff and the most interesting character had way too little page time) and both stories are a bit weird about gender (which is sort of understandable since this was originally published in the 80s).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Child death, Transphobia, Death, Death of parent, and Hate crime

Minor: Deadnaming, Outing, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Alcoholism

flover's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Terminal illness, Stalking, Murder, Death of parent, and Death

demo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Transphobia

Moderate: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, and Terminal illness

The transphobia in Kitchen occurs not solely in depictions of the violent mistreatment of the trans character but primarily through the author's handling of the character's transness. The narrator and other characters regularly deadgender the trans character and this is depicted as lighthearted and affectionate.