Scan barcode
A review by jadeeby
The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto
3.0
Originally published at my blog Chasing Empty Pavements
I finished the book The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto and wow is all I can say. This book was crazy different than what I've read in a long time.
The Good: There is no plot or action in this book really, but strangely it works for this book. The book is written as if the narrator were either talking directly to us, the readers or just talking aloud. It has this unbelievable flow, almost a stream of conciousness. You really get to know the main character, Chihiro because she lets you into her world, her heart and her mind. She isn't shy about saying exactly what she wants and its refreshing to have a narrator like this. The tone of the narrator is like she hasn't spoke, really spoken in years and now it's just flowing out except beautifully flowing. What I love about this book is that its beautifully written except there aren't complex or overly lyrical lines. The beauty lies within the simplicity of the sentences. Sometimes so matter-of-factly. I thought Yoshimoto really treated this book with care, especially when we find out the disturbing things within the novel.
The Bad: Sometimes I actually felt that the lack of action and plot slowed the reading down a bit and there were some areas where I felt a little tired of hearing Chihiro talking but really those are my only two complaints about the novel.
Overall, I thought this was a beautifully written, quick read. I've never heard of Banana Yoshimoto before this book fell into my hands, but I'm defiantly checking out her other stuff! I give this book a A-!
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
I finished the book The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto and wow is all I can say. This book was crazy different than what I've read in a long time.
The Good: There is no plot or action in this book really, but strangely it works for this book. The book is written as if the narrator were either talking directly to us, the readers or just talking aloud. It has this unbelievable flow, almost a stream of conciousness. You really get to know the main character, Chihiro because she lets you into her world, her heart and her mind. She isn't shy about saying exactly what she wants and its refreshing to have a narrator like this. The tone of the narrator is like she hasn't spoke, really spoken in years and now it's just flowing out except beautifully flowing. What I love about this book is that its beautifully written except there aren't complex or overly lyrical lines. The beauty lies within the simplicity of the sentences. Sometimes so matter-of-factly. I thought Yoshimoto really treated this book with care, especially when we find out the disturbing things within the novel.
The Bad: Sometimes I actually felt that the lack of action and plot slowed the reading down a bit and there were some areas where I felt a little tired of hearing Chihiro talking but really those are my only two complaints about the novel.
Overall, I thought this was a beautifully written, quick read. I've never heard of Banana Yoshimoto before this book fell into my hands, but I'm defiantly checking out her other stuff! I give this book a A-!
**I received this book free from the publisher through www.netgalley.com. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.