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A review by epsilina
Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto
3.0
This is my first time reading anything by Banana Yoshimoto. I liked this book, but did not love it, though I am sure I will read another book of hers again.
I found the characters interesting, and I always appreciate magical realism. Perhaps with the exception of the third and titular story, however, I didn't feel that the stories included in Asleep felt finished. Unlike most readers, it seems, I was far more interested in the first two stories. When I finished the first story I felt disappointed that I wasn't going to continue following these characters. They were the most compelling to me in the book, and I wanted to spend more time with them. The second story felt particularly short changed by its brevity--in some ways I feel sincerity was lost by not fleshing it out more.
The third story was a bit of a toss up for me. It definitely felt the most complete, but I didn't find myself particularly interested. I have narcolepsy, and could certainly relate to the main character. It was a solid and frankly realistic depiction of having chronic fatigue and depression, and her processing the death of her friend was compelling. However, I felt like the story had the wrong focus, almost. I cared very little about her and her boyfriend; the entire story line felt more like a distraction from the far more interesting exploration of her friend. It's not so much that I don't think that it should have been included as weighted differently.
I found the characters interesting, and I always appreciate magical realism. Perhaps with the exception of the third and titular story, however, I didn't feel that the stories included in Asleep felt finished. Unlike most readers, it seems, I was far more interested in the first two stories. When I finished the first story I felt disappointed that I wasn't going to continue following these characters. They were the most compelling to me in the book, and I wanted to spend more time with them. The second story felt particularly short changed by its brevity--in some ways I feel sincerity was lost by not fleshing it out more.
The third story was a bit of a toss up for me. It definitely felt the most complete, but I didn't find myself particularly interested. I have narcolepsy, and could certainly relate to the main character. It was a solid and frankly realistic depiction of having chronic fatigue and depression, and her processing the death of her friend was compelling. However, I felt like the story had the wrong focus, almost. I cared very little about her and her boyfriend; the entire story line felt more like a distraction from the far more interesting exploration of her friend. It's not so much that I don't think that it should have been included as weighted differently.