A review by sweetearlgrey
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

4.25

Because grief is the most universal experience of all, books that discuss it are of particular interest to me. In these stories, the characters' grief permeates all aspects of their lives. What I find most noteworthy, though, is how grief can be both a destructive and a uniting force. The characters are feeling lost, but they also form deeper connections with others that are experiencing similar emotions to them. I think that's why I didn't feel sad after reading this book despite the difficult subject matter - instead I felt hopeful. The writing is also wonderfully sentimental, with the following quotes being some of my personal favourites:

In the uncertain ebb and flow of time and emotions, much of one's life history is etched in the senses. And things of no particular importance, or irreplaceable things, can suddenly resurface in a café one winter night.

You might come to fear the next time you get a cold; it will be as bad as this, but if you just hold steady, it won't be. For the rest of your life. that's how it works. You could take the negative view and live in fear: will it happen again? But it won't hurt so much if you just accept it as a part of life.

My heart dropped out, and I was feeling what people fear the most: I touched the deepest despair a person can know... If I could get through this, morning would come, and I knew without a doubt that I would have fun again, laugh out loud. If only the sun would rise. If only morning would come.