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A review by pangnaolin
Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I got this book of three of Banana Yoshimoto’s short stories as a gift from my nanny in 7th grade, and my entire view of literature changed.
I’d never read much beyond YA literature and maybe The Bell Jar (odd mix, I know), and this anthology just moved me. Its characters talked minimally, mostly dwelling in their own minds, and little was directly stated about them, leaving the reader to decipher the truth and pick apart what is real and what isn’t. I’m not quite sure what was magical realism and what wasn’t, but both possibilities are incredibly striking and Yoshimoto’s refusal to tell us adds even more to the stories.
I love her simplistic style, careful in word choice and seemingly tiptoeing through the narrative, attentive as not to disturb the surrounding story. A bit nerdy, but it reminds me of the uncertainty principle regarding quantum particles. She’s disproved her own literary version of that principle, walking beside the particles of her stories without a sound and seeing them as they are.
I’d never read much beyond YA literature and maybe The Bell Jar (odd mix, I know), and this anthology just moved me. Its characters talked minimally, mostly dwelling in their own minds, and little was directly stated about them, leaving the reader to decipher the truth and pick apart what is real and what isn’t. I’m not quite sure what was magical realism and what wasn’t, but both possibilities are incredibly striking and Yoshimoto’s refusal to tell us adds even more to the stories.
I love her simplistic style, careful in word choice and seemingly tiptoeing through the narrative, attentive as not to disturb the surrounding story. A bit nerdy, but it reminds me of the uncertainty principle regarding quantum particles. She’s disproved her own literary version of that principle, walking beside the particles of her stories without a sound and seeing them as they are.