Books like Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto | Summary & Study Guide

Strange things are known to happen in Japanese books. There is no sense of time. There is no linearity in the narration. Brevity is the key. Food is the soul. And therein lies the appeal. Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen (translated to English by Megan Backus) subscribes to everything I’ve come to associate with contemporary Japanese fiction. Yet it I found it to be lacking. I don’t know if I can chalk it up to the translation or the fact that the stories were written in 1988.Yes, stories. You see, this short book has two short stories – the titular Kitchen and accompanying tale, Moonlight Shadow. Both stories deal with loss and bereavement, told from the PoVs of two young women. However, where I found the former to be weird (weird even by Japanese standards) and incomplete, the latter seemed to be utterly sad yet full of hope – hope that ones lost to you come back. At least for a short while. At least to tell you that they are okay. And to tell you, that you will be okay too.While not the best of the lot (that spot is still held by The Travelling Cat Chronicles), it is not definitely the worst (Touring the Land of the Dead has the honour) of Japanese fiction. Would I recommend it? Not particularly. But if you need a short something while you wait for that bus/train/email, then maybe, yes, it will do.