アムリタ〈上〉

by Banana Yoshimoto, 吉本 ばなな

Amrita [Japanese Edition] (Volume # 1)

Genres: Fiction, Japan

308 pages

First published January 1, 1997

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

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mh... I've only read the first book out of two and I'm not sure I'll continue. The story revolves around the paranormal: some characters foresee the future, hear voices and/or communicate with ghosts. As usual with her story-telling, it seems like after 300 pages, nothing much has happened, which is not necessarily a bad thing! In fact I usually like her style, because it's so true and close to real life where there's more introspection than action. But the way she invited ghosts into the mix this time around really makes it more "fiction" than usual and for a fiction novel, it's pretty dull.

I was thinking of continuing the story in an easier language for me to read, but I can't even find one reason to. There seems to be nothing and no one I would like to find out more about :/ I guess she finally communicates with her lost sister? I don't see how it could be better than Moonlight Shadow, in many hundreds pages less.