A review by zimlicious
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa

5.0

A rare occasion in which I took as long as I could so I wouldn't finish the book so quickly. It's a small book, and it just flows so easily... The language was so simple, and it's one of the few books I loved but didn't underline any sentences in: when you look at it, they don't mean much on their own, but the way they were put together was just <3. There was so much that resonated with me: the way Sentaro serendipitously meets Tokue, how it is hard to be different, how you pay for your mistakes, being alone and unhappy but trying to hang onto life anyway even though you're not sure exactly why... And the author's note at the end did really explain how he came up with all this. When he was a late-night radio personality, he would ask his callers," What is life all about?" Even now, most of us believe it is being a useful member of society or "life has no meaning." He argues that "anyone is capable of making a positive contribution to the world through simple observation, irrespective of circumstance." And that's pretty much what Tokue teaches all of us. Again, as Sukegawa puts it: "This is the idea that Tokue expresses when she writes in her letter, 'We're born in order to see and listen to the world.' It's a powerful notion, with the potantial to subtly reshape our view of everything." I also must mention that this book found me at the best time because I have very much been questioning why I still bother with life to the point of breaking my body, mind and soul. And I think it would be good if I'm able to take a step back once in a while and remember this story.