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triviahanni 's review for:
Moshi Moshi
by Banana Yoshimoto
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
— 3.25/5 ★ //
“I could feel every one of my footsteps leaving a mark on the ground here, and sense how they added up over time. Each day I walked this town, every step my feet inscribed, I was also building my inner landscape. They’d keep growing, in tandem, and a hint of my presence would linger even after I was gone… I was experiencing that form of love for the first time.”
This was my second Banana Yoshimoto novel and despite having a few personal issues with it, I greatly preferred it to the first one I read, “The Premonition”.
If there’s anything I’ve learnt from reading two of Yoshimoto’s works now, is that she is an incredibly charming, quaint writer. Her words feel smooth or perhaps fluid on a page, and her descriptions are sweet and simple, yet still so impactful and endearing. She has an amazing talent at making the most normal, everyday, mundane topics and activities sound so enchanting and inspiring, it’s a rare talent, one that is incredibly comforting.
This novel covers several themes, the main ones being: grief, love (platonic, familial, and romantic), death, and coming-of-age. Each of these topics are handled delicately and earnestly, following Yocchan’s (who is cutely nicknamed “Yoshie” in parts of the book) unique experiences and personal struggles. I loved reading the growth and character development Yocchan underwent, as not only was she struggling with the death of her father, and the manner in which he died, but she’s also at that stage in her life where she’s craving independence and her own identity. All of this is a lot for anybody to handle, but she handles it gracefully, unafraid to show emotion and later, open up to those closest to her, taking charge of her life and managing her wants and needs.
A standout aspect of this book to me was the relationship between Yocchan and her mother. It is inferred in the novel a few times that Yoshie and her mother have had a complex and tense relationship at times, so to see them connect and bond with one another over their grief and healing was a beautiful thing to bear witness to. They both supported each other, sometimes vocally, sometimes silently, but always completely. I appreciated that Yoshimoto made a point to show that while they both deeply grieved the loss of the father/husband, the grief was different and took them on different journeys. The loss shaped them both differently, yet they stuck together and worked through it, despite their differences.
Undeniably, a part of this growth and healing took place because of food. Food is a key aspect in this novel that helps to unite the cast of characters and ease the tension and pain that they’re experiencing. From things like the barley salad and shaved ice that helped both Yocchan and her mother begin their journey of grief and acceptance, to the quiet, loving gesture of Mother making and sharing rice porridge with Yoshie when she suffers a night of sickness and sadness, to the connection Yocchan forges with Shintani-Kun that begins when she starts to feel fond over the way he relishes and eats his food. The connection that food cultivates between us is small but profound.
This connection was also fostered by the other “small” things, things such as the community and location. Yoshimoto managed to ensure that the day-to-day routine that Yocchan undertook was never boring, but always endearing and soothing. The writing was truly so beautiful and it made me long to find my own special place in this world where I too can feel comfort and warmth in the everyday.
However, whilst I’ve made sure to emphasise the things I appreciated and loved in this book, I’ve yet to say what I didn’t appreciate and love. In the later quarter part of this novel, the pacing begins to feel a little strange and Yocchan makes decisions that I personally found to be quite difficult to understand. I really enjoyed her character and the narrative to that point, but the introduction of the taboo “I suddenly have deep, intense feelings towards my dead father’s best friend” really threw me off and I just didn’t enjoy it. Yoshimoto isn’t a stranger to introducing taboo relationships in her writing, even in this book we are made aware that Yoshie’s father had a relationship with his sister’s daughter (which was implied that he didn’t know about till it was too late), and in “The Premonition” (the first ever Banana Yoshimoto book I read), there was a relationship at the end of the novel between two characters who had been “siblings” until they found out that they actually weren’t blood related, just raised to be family. Upon realising that this is a common theme in Yoshimoto’s books, a part of me respects it, but another, admittedly bigger part of me, just can’t get my head around it.
Unfortunately, it’s because of the reasons above that I’m not sure whether I’ll be reading another Banana Yoshimoto book in future. I think she’s a great writer and I adore her charming and subtle prose, but the taboo themes just aren’t really for me. It’s a shame because I had high hopes for the landing of the narrative and the character development, but it ended up just feeling odd and unnatural to me. However, I don’t regret a single moment I spent on this book! The start of my review still holds strong and I still have great respect for the author and her works, I just don’t think it’s quite right for me, personally.
“I could feel every one of my footsteps leaving a mark on the ground here, and sense how they added up over time. Each day I walked this town, every step my feet inscribed, I was also building my inner landscape. They’d keep growing, in tandem, and a hint of my presence would linger even after I was gone… I was experiencing that form of love for the first time.”
This was my second Banana Yoshimoto novel and despite having a few personal issues with it, I greatly preferred it to the first one I read, “The Premonition”.
If there’s anything I’ve learnt from reading two of Yoshimoto’s works now, is that she is an incredibly charming, quaint writer. Her words feel smooth or perhaps fluid on a page, and her descriptions are sweet and simple, yet still so impactful and endearing. She has an amazing talent at making the most normal, everyday, mundane topics and activities sound so enchanting and inspiring, it’s a rare talent, one that is incredibly comforting.
This novel covers several themes, the main ones being: grief, love (platonic, familial, and romantic), death, and coming-of-age. Each of these topics are handled delicately and earnestly, following Yocchan’s (who is cutely nicknamed “Yoshie” in parts of the book) unique experiences and personal struggles. I loved reading the growth and character development Yocchan underwent, as not only was she struggling with the death of her father, and the manner in which he died, but she’s also at that stage in her life where she’s craving independence and her own identity. All of this is a lot for anybody to handle, but she handles it gracefully, unafraid to show emotion and later, open up to those closest to her, taking charge of her life and managing her wants and needs.
A standout aspect of this book to me was the relationship between Yocchan and her mother. It is inferred in the novel a few times that Yoshie and her mother have had a complex and tense relationship at times, so to see them connect and bond with one another over their grief and healing was a beautiful thing to bear witness to. They both supported each other, sometimes vocally, sometimes silently, but always completely. I appreciated that Yoshimoto made a point to show that while they both deeply grieved the loss of the father/husband, the grief was different and took them on different journeys. The loss shaped them both differently, yet they stuck together and worked through it, despite their differences.
Undeniably, a part of this growth and healing took place because of food. Food is a key aspect in this novel that helps to unite the cast of characters and ease the tension and pain that they’re experiencing. From things like the barley salad and shaved ice that helped both Yocchan and her mother begin their journey of grief and acceptance, to the quiet, loving gesture of Mother making and sharing rice porridge with Yoshie when she suffers a night of sickness and sadness, to the connection Yocchan forges with Shintani-Kun that begins when she starts to feel fond over the way he relishes and eats his food. The connection that food cultivates between us is small but profound.
This connection was also fostered by the other “small” things, things such as the community and location. Yoshimoto managed to ensure that the day-to-day routine that Yocchan undertook was never boring, but always endearing and soothing. The writing was truly so beautiful and it made me long to find my own special place in this world where I too can feel comfort and warmth in the everyday.
However, whilst I’ve made sure to emphasise the things I appreciated and loved in this book, I’ve yet to say what I didn’t appreciate and love. In the later quarter part of this novel, the pacing begins to feel a little strange and Yocchan makes decisions that I personally found to be quite difficult to understand. I really enjoyed her character and the narrative to that point, but the introduction of the taboo “I suddenly have deep, intense feelings towards my dead father’s best friend” really threw me off and I just didn’t enjoy it. Yoshimoto isn’t a stranger to introducing taboo relationships in her writing, even in this book we are made aware that Yoshie’s father had a relationship with his sister’s daughter (which was implied that he didn’t know about till it was too late), and in “The Premonition” (the first ever Banana Yoshimoto book I read), there was a relationship at the end of the novel between two characters who had been “siblings” until they found out that they actually weren’t blood related, just raised to be family. Upon realising that this is a common theme in Yoshimoto’s books, a part of me respects it, but another, admittedly bigger part of me, just can’t get my head around it.
Unfortunately, it’s because of the reasons above that I’m not sure whether I’ll be reading another Banana Yoshimoto book in future. I think she’s a great writer and I adore her charming and subtle prose, but the taboo themes just aren’t really for me. It’s a shame because I had high hopes for the landing of the narrative and the character development, but it ended up just feeling odd and unnatural to me. However, I don’t regret a single moment I spent on this book! The start of my review still holds strong and I still have great respect for the author and her works, I just don’t think it’s quite right for me, personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual content