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A review by natalie_and_company
Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto
5.0
Such rarity for a short story collection to get a full five stars from me. So often they fluctuate with some stories being better than others, but each was so deeply impactful. Every story packs a punch in a completely different way, leaving your defenses down on all sides by the end of the book. You end up feeling raw and exposed as if the dirt upon your skin has been rubbed away instead of washed away.
To be frank, there is absolutely nothing special about these stories. So it is baffling how much magic they hold in their words. Banana Yoshimoto sews life into her writing like a grandmother sews love into a quilt. You cannot help but hang onto each and every word, every phrase is tantalizing as if it were the most action-heavy, plot-ridden, world you've ever read. Her words feel like home, they feel like you could have written them yourself. For a moment they make you wonder if you /have/ written the words before you, with how familiar they feel.
This is the first Yoshimoto I have read, and I went to the bookstore the very day I finished it to find other writings from her. I am greatly looking forward to submersing myself in a full novel by her. This is a super recommend.
To be frank, there is absolutely nothing special about these stories. So it is baffling how much magic they hold in their words. Banana Yoshimoto sews life into her writing like a grandmother sews love into a quilt. You cannot help but hang onto each and every word, every phrase is tantalizing as if it were the most action-heavy, plot-ridden, world you've ever read. Her words feel like home, they feel like you could have written them yourself. For a moment they make you wonder if you /have/ written the words before you, with how familiar they feel.
This is the first Yoshimoto I have read, and I went to the bookstore the very day I finished it to find other writings from her. I am greatly looking forward to submersing myself in a full novel by her. This is a super recommend.