ジュージュー [Jūjū]

by Banana Yoshimoto, よしもと ばなな

下町の小さなハンバーグ店に集う、おかしな人たち。みんなちょっとずつ何かが欠けていて、つながりあって、ひとつの命になっている。世界の美しい色を回復させる、滋養たっぷりの小宇宙。

Genres: Japanese Literature

159 pages, Tankobon Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Banana Yoshimoto (よしもと ばなな or 吉本 ばなな) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本 真秀子), a Japanese contemporary writer. She writes her name in hiragana. (See also 吉本芭娜娜 (Chinese).)

Along with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Growing up in a liberal family, she learned the value of independence from a young age.

She graduated from Nihon University's Art College, majoring in Literature. During that time, she took the pseudonym "Banana" after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both "cute" and "purposefully androgynous."

Despite her success, Yoshimoto remains a down-to-earth and obscure figure. Whenever she appears in public she eschews make-up and dresses simply. She keeps her personal life guarded, and reveals little about her certified Rolfing practitioner, Hiroyoshi Tahata and son (born in 2003). Instead, she talks about her writing. Each day she takes half an hour to write at her computer, and she says, "I tend to feel guilty because I write these stories almost for fun."

Reviews

[Iras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunday afternoon☀️☕️ window-side treat.

A light and easy to read book.
The story is a bit cliche but it is being presented in a comfy and fresh way.
Or maybe I simply enjoy certain Japanese female values constructed by Ms Yoshimoto.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't feel much about the characters. just flipped through it to finish it off.

[Rose Lam · Rating 4 out of 5]

有點奇情但又出奇地讀得舒服和療癒的書，第一本吉本芭娜娜，蠻不錯