A review by magicshop
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It’s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind. 

the way i KNEW this shit was gonna make me cry before i even read the synopsis

you should read this book if...
  • you're looking for a thoughtful exploration of japanese culture mixed in with philosophy. disclaimer: i am not japanese and could be full of shit
  • you have a full pantry and are ready to crave sweets for 160 pages

the good
  • the prose is simple and direct; the poetry is created in the moments and situations themselves rather than through figures of speech for the most part. it's an easy, comfortable read, which suits the story's quietly contemplative mood. of course, i can't judge sukegawa's  original text since i didn't read the book in japanese, but my impression of the translation is definitely positive.
  • there were points wherein i thought the plot might take turns that would be too maudlin for my tastes, but despite the obvious emotional nature of the subject matter, sukegawa never went too far with it. like he for sure came close but not quite enough to annoy me. i'm grateful for that since it allowed me to have an overall pleasant experience without feeling overly manipulated toward any specific emotion
  • the characters were all easy to like and sympathize with, but tokue obviously shone the brightest, along with dorayaki aka the actual main character
  • i spent many periods of my young adult life thinking about (read: losing my shit over) solipsism and it's nice to find it here in a more welcoming and friendly shape at a time when i'm also older and more ready to think about it without fully collapsing into existential crises

the bad
  • i thought the ending was a little abrupt
    but it's probably just me forgetting some crucial section of the story where the moon was of any importance?????? i cannot for the life of me remember anything like that so whoops maybe. maybe it's just a reference to tokue's night (death) finally coming????? i don't know fam

extra observations
  • there are a few sections where the author dissects the sweet bean paste making process at length. this was a plus for me because i really enjoyed those descriptions (i guess i just love learning things in general), but could be a negative for some. 
  • i have no idea whether any of the descriptions and information on hansen's disease were accurately portrayed, but word of the author says he did a lot of research and spoke directly to patients for a long time before writing the book so there's that
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