clairerobinson90 's review for:

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

4.0

emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This was a strange but wholesome book that left me pleasantly surprised. The book centres on Sentaro, a character who has had a difficult life and is trying to make amends. His dreams of becoming a writer have been buried and he now works at a food stall selling dorayaki (a type of Japanese pancake filled with sweet bean paste). 

One day, Tokue shuffles along and insists on being part of Sentaro’s life. Reluctantly on his part, even after finding out she makes the best sweet bean paste, they become friends. Together, they make dorayaki and try to fix the problems of their pasts. 

Sweet Bean Paste is the perfect story for lovers of Japanese fiction with a little bit of darkness mixed in.