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Dead-End Memories: Stories
Japan's internationally celebrated master storyteller returns with five stories of women on their way to healing that vividly portrays the blissful moments and everyday sorrows that surround us in everyday life.
First published in Japan in 2003 and never-before-published in the United States, Dead-End Memories collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery.
Among the women we meet in Dead-End Memories is a woman betrayed by her fiancé who finds a perfect refuge in an apartment above her uncle's bar while seeking the real meaning of happiness. In "House of Ghosts", a daughter of a yōshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven't yet realized that they have been dead for years. In "Tomo-chan's Happiness", an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance.
Yoshimoto's gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect. Discover this collection of what Yoshimoto herself calls the "most precious work of my writing career".
First published in Japan in 2003 and never-before-published in the United States, Dead-End Memories collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery.
Among the women we meet in Dead-End Memories is a woman betrayed by her fiancé who finds a perfect refuge in an apartment above her uncle's bar while seeking the real meaning of happiness. In "House of Ghosts", a daughter of a yōshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven't yet realized that they have been dead for years. In "Tomo-chan's Happiness", an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance.
Yoshimoto's gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect. Discover this collection of what Yoshimoto herself calls the "most precious work of my writing career".
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2003
619 people are currently reading
19028 people want to read
About the author
Banana Yoshimoto
236 books9,170 followersBanana 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."
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."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,444 reviews
July 30, 2025
The first book I read by this author was Kitchen.
I loved all five stories in the collection; reading them felt relaxing and comforting.
One quote from Dead-End Memories that resonated with me was from Mimi:
"I'm just happy he's here. I don't need him to be mine." 😍
It reminds me that loving someone doesn't mean you have to possess them.
I loved all five stories in the collection; reading them felt relaxing and comforting.
One quote from Dead-End Memories that resonated with me was from Mimi:
"I'm just happy he's here. I don't need him to be mine." 😍
It reminds me that loving someone doesn't mean you have to possess them.
July 23, 2022
it's a really beautiful, weird story collection and I'm sad I've never read her before! The stories move in surprising ways, and the gentle touch with everything from ghosts to poisoning to abuse is remarkable.
September 8, 2022
I enjoyed these stories— sorrow - happiness - hope —
—- the dialogue
——the intimacy…
Yes I definitely liked this slim collection—-
it also made me a little hungry.
Wonderful food descriptions.
—- the dialogue
——the intimacy…
Yes I definitely liked this slim collection—-
it also made me a little hungry.
Wonderful food descriptions.
October 9, 2022
For you if you like the style of Sally Rooney, Haruki Murakami, Jhumpa Lahiri and also if you enjoy reading Japanese stories/movies in general.
Read each story as it is, as it comes. Read it from an adult’s point of view.
However I do feel the stories could have been way shorter.
Read each story as it is, as it comes. Read it from an adult’s point of view.
However I do feel the stories could have been way shorter.
December 27, 2024
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv93BKzrw...
A charming, heartfelt collection that centers on the life changing powers of love and loss. Through the eyes of five protagonists reflecting on their relationships to families and lovers, we see the snapshots of life, the everyday moments that seem routine, but change our entire futures. We see the pangs of heartbreak and the stirrings of courage to live in a new way, to let go of hurt and enjoy the little things. This is a collection that celebrates the forgotten jokes but the remembered laughs, the lingering taste of a favorite meal, the first sparks of romance, of healing. An effortlessly endearing and relatable set of stories.
January 26, 2023
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Whenever I am in a reading slump or going through a difficult/otherwise stressful period in my life, I seek out Banana Yoshimoto’s work. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is about her style that I find to be so oddly comforting but the themes, the characters, and the cadence of her storytelling all feel very familiar to me. I can see why some people might find her style simplistic or be frustrated by her characters’ propensity for navel gazing but time and again I find myself returning to her work. She very rarely deviates from her tested out formula, which usually follows a young woman who may have some daddy issues and falls in love with a generic guy, all of this usually happens against a hospitality backdrop. There are scenes detailing every-day interactions where characters go on from talking about nothing specific to having more existential conversations about love, life, and the past. The slice-of-life feel of the story is interjected with a dreamlike quality that lends some of her stories almost a magical realism sort of atmosphere. Some stories commit to this more fantastical feel, and we even have spirits & the like. A lot of her characters suffer from mysterious and unnamed illness, or drop-dead in a very soap-opera fashion. Yet, her tone and her characters’ reactions remain rather subdued. All of this is to say that when I pick up something by Yoshimoto I know what to expect and I am by no means put off by the sameness of her stories. Most of her protagonists share the same Yoshimotoesque personality: an observant and excitable young woman who is able to inject energy in the most mundane of thoughts or activities. Her short stories usually offer more variety compared to Yoshimoto’s full-length works.
Having liked two of her other short-story collections (Asleep & Lizard) I was looking forward to Dead-End Memories, especially since the last few months of my life have been a wee bit much, and I mentioned earlier, Yoshimoto’s style is a balm to my uneasy soul. Anyhow, I liked most of the stories. My favorite story happens to be the one the collection is named after, which I actually already read back in 2019 but the italian translation (which has not aged well at all). It’s a wistful story about heartbreak and Yoshimoto captures with ease the feelings and impressions experienced by her protagonist. The other stories were just as pleasant and breezy except for the very first one . I will say that my main pet peeve with Yoshimoto is her romanticization of creepy guys. A few of her stories include or tease the possibility of incenstuous relationships…which yikes. Or we have guys forcing themselves onto girls. And the way this is portrayed is questionable at best…anyway, in ‘House of Ghosts’ we have the guy, I refuse to address him as love interest, whining about wanting to have sex with the narrator and he says the following: “But us guys, we only see holes. No matter how pretty a girl’s makeup looks, or what she’s wearing […] all we can think of is how somewhere deep inside this person, there’s a hole—a wet hole” to which she replies “Okay?” and he says “So that’s what’s been on my mind. Every time you laugh or say anything, I’m still thinking about that hole”. I am not saying that there are no guys like this, however the way the story presents him gives the idea that the shit is saying is okay, normal even. As opposed to disgusting and totally misogynistic (the man is dehumanizing women by seeing them as ‘wet holes’ he wants to enter). Bleargh. Yoshimoto, please. That guy ruined a really nice story. Thankfully, the rest of the collection is typical Yoshimoto fanfare. Dreamy and lighthearted with some the kind of observations that can range from thoughtful to corny. If you are looking for nostalgic stories exploring dreams, memories, and heartbreak, look no further.
“And yet, when I traveled to other cities, I always found that a view without a river was of no interest to me at all. Perhaps that was because the inherent stillness of my nature made me crave the sight of things that moved.”
Whenever I am in a reading slump or going through a difficult/otherwise stressful period in my life, I seek out Banana Yoshimoto’s work. I can’t quite pinpoint what it is about her style that I find to be so oddly comforting but the themes, the characters, and the cadence of her storytelling all feel very familiar to me. I can see why some people might find her style simplistic or be frustrated by her characters’ propensity for navel gazing but time and again I find myself returning to her work. She very rarely deviates from her tested out formula, which usually follows a young woman who may have some daddy issues and falls in love with a generic guy, all of this usually happens against a hospitality backdrop. There are scenes detailing every-day interactions where characters go on from talking about nothing specific to having more existential conversations about love, life, and the past. The slice-of-life feel of the story is interjected with a dreamlike quality that lends some of her stories almost a magical realism sort of atmosphere. Some stories commit to this more fantastical feel, and we even have spirits & the like. A lot of her characters suffer from mysterious and unnamed illness, or drop-dead in a very soap-opera fashion. Yet, her tone and her characters’ reactions remain rather subdued. All of this is to say that when I pick up something by Yoshimoto I know what to expect and I am by no means put off by the sameness of her stories. Most of her protagonists share the same Yoshimotoesque personality: an observant and excitable young woman who is able to inject energy in the most mundane of thoughts or activities. Her short stories usually offer more variety compared to Yoshimoto’s full-length works.
Having liked two of her other short-story collections (Asleep & Lizard) I was looking forward to Dead-End Memories, especially since the last few months of my life have been a wee bit much, and I mentioned earlier, Yoshimoto’s style is a balm to my uneasy soul. Anyhow, I liked most of the stories. My favorite story happens to be the one the collection is named after, which I actually already read back in 2019 but the italian translation (which has not aged well at all). It’s a wistful story about heartbreak and Yoshimoto captures with ease the feelings and impressions experienced by her protagonist. The other stories were just as pleasant and breezy except for the very first one . I will say that my main pet peeve with Yoshimoto is her romanticization of creepy guys. A few of her stories include or tease the possibility of incenstuous relationships…which yikes. Or we have guys forcing themselves onto girls. And the way this is portrayed is questionable at best…anyway, in ‘House of Ghosts’ we have the guy, I refuse to address him as love interest, whining about wanting to have sex with the narrator and he says the following: “But us guys, we only see holes. No matter how pretty a girl’s makeup looks, or what she’s wearing […] all we can think of is how somewhere deep inside this person, there’s a hole—a wet hole” to which she replies “Okay?” and he says “So that’s what’s been on my mind. Every time you laugh or say anything, I’m still thinking about that hole”. I am not saying that there are no guys like this, however the way the story presents him gives the idea that the shit is saying is okay, normal even. As opposed to disgusting and totally misogynistic (the man is dehumanizing women by seeing them as ‘wet holes’ he wants to enter). Bleargh. Yoshimoto, please. That guy ruined a really nice story. Thankfully, the rest of the collection is typical Yoshimoto fanfare. Dreamy and lighthearted with some the kind of observations that can range from thoughtful to corny. If you are looking for nostalgic stories exploring dreams, memories, and heartbreak, look no further.
November 16, 2022
I find Banana Yoshimoto’s writing and storytelling enchanting. It is a wonderful and calming escape, almost meditative.
House of Ghosts is the story of two young people finding themselves and each. Both have parents that run food oriented businesses: one a restaurant and one a pastry shop. One youth wants to carry on the family business and the other does not. It is a beautiful coming of age story. My favorite line is, “Being a cook meant any meal I made could end up being someone’s last.” This concept is explored in this short story. The ghost story is very touching and connects to the overall story.
“Mama!” explores the juxtaposition of what is seen and unseen, the internal and external world, relationships, and lunch. It is a dark story involving being mindful of and listening to a premonition. It involves a stalking and a poisoning. I read this story while bedridden with Covid. It made the reading experience come alive. The author captures heaviness of depression and, the heart of the story, that recovery is a process.
This quote sums up this story nicely.
“I was amazed to think, now, that I’ve been going through life behaving I understood anything about people, only to have nearly been killed by one of them, and then saved by several others. The whole chain of events seemed like the plot of some made up story.”
Not Warm at All is a moving and powerful story about light, family, and the magic of childhood friendship. It is the story of two friends from families with different economic situations. The narrator envies her friends and he hers. I love that her family runs and bookstore and she grows up to be an author. It was a very moving and poignant story about their love and the lasting impact of their connection.
Tomo-Chan
Tomo Chan is a homebody and her heart took her on so many journeys over the course of its movements and fluctuations that she didn’t feel the need to travel. This story resonated with me, for I, too, am a homebody and don’t feel the need to travel. I prefer to journey through books. This story highlights how we perceive the world around us and God’s or the Universe’s part in it.
Dead-End Memories is the final story in the collection and is about being present in the moment to escape sadness and sorrow. It is a story, like the previous one, about the miracle of happiness, but also freedom, finding balance, and healing. I found great joy in reading this one, especially Mimi’s description of happiness.
House of Ghosts is the story of two young people finding themselves and each. Both have parents that run food oriented businesses: one a restaurant and one a pastry shop. One youth wants to carry on the family business and the other does not. It is a beautiful coming of age story. My favorite line is, “Being a cook meant any meal I made could end up being someone’s last.” This concept is explored in this short story. The ghost story is very touching and connects to the overall story.
“Mama!” explores the juxtaposition of what is seen and unseen, the internal and external world, relationships, and lunch. It is a dark story involving being mindful of and listening to a premonition. It involves a stalking and a poisoning. I read this story while bedridden with Covid. It made the reading experience come alive. The author captures heaviness of depression and, the heart of the story, that recovery is a process.
This quote sums up this story nicely.
“I was amazed to think, now, that I’ve been going through life behaving I understood anything about people, only to have nearly been killed by one of them, and then saved by several others. The whole chain of events seemed like the plot of some made up story.”
Not Warm at All is a moving and powerful story about light, family, and the magic of childhood friendship. It is the story of two friends from families with different economic situations. The narrator envies her friends and he hers. I love that her family runs and bookstore and she grows up to be an author. It was a very moving and poignant story about their love and the lasting impact of their connection.
Tomo-Chan
Tomo Chan is a homebody and her heart took her on so many journeys over the course of its movements and fluctuations that she didn’t feel the need to travel. This story resonated with me, for I, too, am a homebody and don’t feel the need to travel. I prefer to journey through books. This story highlights how we perceive the world around us and God’s or the Universe’s part in it.
Dead-End Memories is the final story in the collection and is about being present in the moment to escape sadness and sorrow. It is a story, like the previous one, about the miracle of happiness, but also freedom, finding balance, and healing. I found great joy in reading this one, especially Mimi’s description of happiness.
November 13, 2022
Reading Dead-End Memories feels like being perched on a soft cloud after long, difficult days and discovering that no matter how difficult your life has been, life would always find ways to look after you.
“What I went through was fated to happen. Different things came together, threads that were far apart suddenly joined up and circumstances reeled me in, smoothly and inescapably.”
This quote has beautifully summarized the primary motif running through every single story in this collection. At its core, Banana Yoshimoto writes about five women whose lives are altered by traumatic incidents, accidental choices, and inexplicable moments. The events have devastated them, but they have also unexpectedly jolted something within the characters, giving them a chance to view life with different lens and figure out their lives with more clarity and conviction.
I enjoyed this collection a great deal because it deals with simple, ordinary things. The author isn’t pretentious. She writes very simply yet she is able to convey the intricacies and complexities of life in the most simple, ordinary words. When so much of what we celebrate today is often wrapped in drama and sensation, I find warmth and comfort in a story that beckons us to sit and read about ordinary characters who bear a lot of similarities with us. No frills, no extra words, no heavy analysis - nothing. Just us, the characters and perhaps some ghosts too.
Brandon Taylor (the author of Real Life) said in his review of this book that Banana Yoshimoto wants you to feel again, and I’m pleased to report that she has succeeded.
“What I went through was fated to happen. Different things came together, threads that were far apart suddenly joined up and circumstances reeled me in, smoothly and inescapably.”
This quote has beautifully summarized the primary motif running through every single story in this collection. At its core, Banana Yoshimoto writes about five women whose lives are altered by traumatic incidents, accidental choices, and inexplicable moments. The events have devastated them, but they have also unexpectedly jolted something within the characters, giving them a chance to view life with different lens and figure out their lives with more clarity and conviction.
I enjoyed this collection a great deal because it deals with simple, ordinary things. The author isn’t pretentious. She writes very simply yet she is able to convey the intricacies and complexities of life in the most simple, ordinary words. When so much of what we celebrate today is often wrapped in drama and sensation, I find warmth and comfort in a story that beckons us to sit and read about ordinary characters who bear a lot of similarities with us. No frills, no extra words, no heavy analysis - nothing. Just us, the characters and perhaps some ghosts too.
Brandon Taylor (the author of Real Life) said in his review of this book that Banana Yoshimoto wants you to feel again, and I’m pleased to report that she has succeeded.
March 30, 2022
I so enjoyed these sad, atmospheric and quietly reflective stories, written in Yoshimoto's distinctive style, about how both love and the loss of love add colour and meaning to our lives. Highly recommended.
November 23, 2022
I read Banana Yoshimoto’s Hardboiled & Hard Luck a few years ago and hated it but decided to give her another shot - maybe I just picked the wrong book? So I gave Dead-end Memories, her 2003 short story collection published in English for the first time this year, a chance and… nope! I just don’t think this writer is for me unfortunately.
The book contains five stories: House of Ghosts, about a young couple who live in, that’s right, a house with some ghosts; “Mama!”, about a woman who gets food poisoning at work and thinks about her physically abusive mother; Not Warm At All, about the fate of a bastard son of a wealthy local businessman; Tomo-chan’s Happiness, about a woman who, after being sexually assaulted as a teenager, finally finds love in her adult life; and Dead-end Memories, about a woman who gets cheated on by a man with a secret lover, and whose friend helps retrieve the money he owes her.
The blurb says these stories are about women who are in the process of healing, which I can sorta see with some of them. They all have this melancholic vibe to them with each of the female characters looking back on past trauma and their present situation. What they don’t make for are particularly interesting or memorable stories. I just read this collection and I barely remember anything that happened in them, mainly because almost nothing does. I also never really consult the blurb but I did this time because I was at a loss as to what to make of it all.
House of Ghosts for example is a load of waffle about an ordinary relationship, the spirits of some old people shuffle around a house benignly, and that’s it. Tomo-chan’s Happiness is such a bland and straightforward story about banal everyday love. Even when Yoshimoto injects dramatic moments into the story, like the ending of Not Warm At All or what the mother of the protagonist in “Mama!” did to her, the prose is so weak that it barely registers - at least to me.
The occasional moment in some of the stories are very mildly interesting, otherwise I remain as unimpressed by Banana Yoshimoto’s stories as I did when I first read her in 2016. Maybe if you’re a fan of this writer and enjoy her style, you’ll get something out of this collection, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for entertaining or even remotely engaging storytelling.
The book contains five stories: House of Ghosts, about a young couple who live in, that’s right, a house with some ghosts; “Mama!”, about a woman who gets food poisoning at work and thinks about her physically abusive mother; Not Warm At All, about the fate of a bastard son of a wealthy local businessman; Tomo-chan’s Happiness, about a woman who, after being sexually assaulted as a teenager, finally finds love in her adult life; and Dead-end Memories, about a woman who gets cheated on by a man with a secret lover, and whose friend helps retrieve the money he owes her.
The blurb says these stories are about women who are in the process of healing, which I can sorta see with some of them. They all have this melancholic vibe to them with each of the female characters looking back on past trauma and their present situation. What they don’t make for are particularly interesting or memorable stories. I just read this collection and I barely remember anything that happened in them, mainly because almost nothing does. I also never really consult the blurb but I did this time because I was at a loss as to what to make of it all.
House of Ghosts for example is a load of waffle about an ordinary relationship, the spirits of some old people shuffle around a house benignly, and that’s it. Tomo-chan’s Happiness is such a bland and straightforward story about banal everyday love. Even when Yoshimoto injects dramatic moments into the story, like the ending of Not Warm At All or what the mother of the protagonist in “Mama!” did to her, the prose is so weak that it barely registers - at least to me.
The occasional moment in some of the stories are very mildly interesting, otherwise I remain as unimpressed by Banana Yoshimoto’s stories as I did when I first read her in 2016. Maybe if you’re a fan of this writer and enjoy her style, you’ll get something out of this collection, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for entertaining or even remotely engaging storytelling.
April 18, 2025
“I’d always believed I didn’t take up a lot of space in this world—that it hardly mattered whether I was here or not. When a person left, the people around them got used to their absence. That was true enough. But when I pictured the world without me, and the people I loved living on in it, I couldn’t help but feel like crying.”
Let me describe this book in one sentence — 'The nostalgia will shatter you into smithereens'!!!!! I'm not kidding when I say that some stories in this book changed my life. It started in the most underwhelming manner with the first story being not something I could connect with. I was so disappointed that I almost felt like giving up on this book as a whole. But then I read the second and the third and decided that it was good afterall.
The last two crushed me...
This short story collection by Yoshimoto sensei follows five different women, left to rot in various strands of their lives. But what I found to be most unfortunate was that they weren't aware of how they were slowly dying off on the inside. Nothing about these women felt ordinary. But that is probably because none of us are ordinary afterall.
When a chance is lost, wield your power to make another. Learn to treasure life before it's taken away from you. Remember to always shine the light of your soul. Understand what happiness truly means to you. And finally believe in you worth...
However just knowing these things and keeping them within you is not enough. It needs to be shown, to be shared. And I really appreciate that Yoshimoto' sensei did just that!
I felt that writing was simple yet poignant as I breezed through the book. It has no over-the-top themes and I believe everyone can enjoy and relate to atleast one of the stories in this collection(My favourite stories were the last two— Tomo's Happiness & Dead End Memories). However make sure to look up the trigger warnings as there are some maturely dark content in there. This was my first book by her and am excited and curious about some of her other works(mainly Kitchen & Moshi Moshi). Also grab the F&F editions for her books because they're absolutely stunning!!! I'd love to know all of your thoughts on this book. Happy Reading ❤️!
Let me describe this book in one sentence — 'The nostalgia will shatter you into smithereens'!!!!! I'm not kidding when I say that some stories in this book changed my life. It started in the most underwhelming manner with the first story being not something I could connect with. I was so disappointed that I almost felt like giving up on this book as a whole. But then I read the second and the third and decided that it was good afterall.
The last two crushed me...
This short story collection by Yoshimoto sensei follows five different women, left to rot in various strands of their lives. But what I found to be most unfortunate was that they weren't aware of how they were slowly dying off on the inside. Nothing about these women felt ordinary. But that is probably because none of us are ordinary afterall.
When a chance is lost, wield your power to make another. Learn to treasure life before it's taken away from you. Remember to always shine the light of your soul. Understand what happiness truly means to you. And finally believe in you worth...
However just knowing these things and keeping them within you is not enough. It needs to be shown, to be shared. And I really appreciate that Yoshimoto' sensei did just that!
I felt that writing was simple yet poignant as I breezed through the book. It has no over-the-top themes and I believe everyone can enjoy and relate to atleast one of the stories in this collection(My favourite stories were the last two— Tomo's Happiness & Dead End Memories). However make sure to look up the trigger warnings as there are some maturely dark content in there. This was my first book by her and am excited and curious about some of her other works(mainly Kitchen & Moshi Moshi). Also grab the F&F editions for her books because they're absolutely stunning!!! I'd love to know all of your thoughts on this book. Happy Reading ❤️!
July 9, 2015
La prosa de Banana Yoshimoto es diáfana y sencilla. Tanto lo que nos cuenta como la forma en que lo cuenta es transparente, sin artificios añadidos, y esto resulta refrescante para el lector. Pero sencillez no es sinónimo de superficial, porque los personajes de esta novela poseen todos ellos sentimientos profundos.
La temática principal de 'Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida' es el desamor, con lo que ello conlleva, tristeza y soledad, visto a través de los ojos de sus jóvenes protagonistas, que si bien se ven inmersas en unas circunstancias dolorosas, en sus historias también se entreve cierta esperanza. Pero todo ésto no implica escenas de desesperación truculentas, ya que Yoshimoto es capaz de narrar lo triste con un gran lirismo.
Estos son los cinco relatos incluidos en 'Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida':
- La casa de los fantasmas, en el que Secchan e Iwakura, compañeros de universidad, mantienen una relación de amistad en la que se entreve algo más.
- ¡Mamáaa!, en el que la protagonista, que trabaja en una editorial, sufrirá un percance que la llevará a reflexionar sobre su infancia.
- La luz que hay dentro de las personas, en el que una joven rememora la amistad que mantuvo con Makoto, un niño de buena familia con el que pasaba el tiempo.
- La felicidad de Tomo-chan, en el que la protagonista, una joven sosegada e ingenua, intenta buscar la felicidad pese al trauma que sufrió.
- Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida, en el que Mimi, deprimida por culpa de su novio, busca tiempo para pensar, trasladándose para ello cerca del bar de su tío, en el que trabaja Nishiyama, que le abrirá los ojos a una nueva vida.
La temática principal de 'Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida' es el desamor, con lo que ello conlleva, tristeza y soledad, visto a través de los ojos de sus jóvenes protagonistas, que si bien se ven inmersas en unas circunstancias dolorosas, en sus historias también se entreve cierta esperanza. Pero todo ésto no implica escenas de desesperación truculentas, ya que Yoshimoto es capaz de narrar lo triste con un gran lirismo.
La sensación de no ver el final del túnel todavía no se había disipado. En esos días, yo tenía que contentarme con el presente, porque temía que, si apartaba la mirada de él, la pena me embargaría, y, sin embargo, precisamente eso contribuiría a ese extraño estado de felicidad. Me había dado cuenta de que todo lo que veía me entristecía, pero el mundo visto a través de aquella tristeza aguda me parecía nítido.
Estos son los cinco relatos incluidos en 'Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida':
- La casa de los fantasmas, en el que Secchan e Iwakura, compañeros de universidad, mantienen una relación de amistad en la que se entreve algo más.
- ¡Mamáaa!, en el que la protagonista, que trabaja en una editorial, sufrirá un percance que la llevará a reflexionar sobre su infancia.
- La luz que hay dentro de las personas, en el que una joven rememora la amistad que mantuvo con Makoto, un niño de buena familia con el que pasaba el tiempo.
- La felicidad de Tomo-chan, en el que la protagonista, una joven sosegada e ingenua, intenta buscar la felicidad pese al trauma que sufrió.
- Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida, en el que Mimi, deprimida por culpa de su novio, busca tiempo para pensar, trasladándose para ello cerca del bar de su tío, en el que trabaja Nishiyama, que le abrirá los ojos a una nueva vida.
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August 27, 2024Banana Yoshimoto is an author known for her intimate and unique approach to writing about the intersection between love and death. Dead-End Memories, however, is more focussed on self-love and healing.
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/japanese-shor...
My full thoughts: https://booksandbao.com/japanese-shor...
July 18, 2024
รวมเรื่องสั้น 5 เรื่องจากป้ากล้วย เราไม่เคยอ่านเรื่องสั้นของป้ามาก่อน ปกติอ่านแต่เรื่องยาวซึ่งเราชอบมากๆ เป็นทุนเดิมอยู่แล้ว การได้อ่านเรื่องสั้นของป้ากล้วยก็เหมือนได้อ่านเรื่องยาวขนาดฉบับย่นย่อ หลายรสแต่ตีมเดียวกัน คือเรื่องราวความรัก (สุขทุกข์ว่ากันไป) ของหญิงสาว ความสัมพันธ์รอบตัวกับสิ่งต่างๆ และการดำเนินชีวิตที่ทำให้ความทรงจำเหล่านั้นกลายเป็นสิ่งพราวระยับกระพริบตา ไม่ว่าเรื่องนั้นจะชวนเศร้าหรือสุขล้วนมีความหมายในตัวเองในแบบตัวเองในแบบที่ไม่ว่าใครจะมานิยายความทรงจำเหล่านั้นไม่ได้และคงมีแต่ตัวเองที่เข้าใจความทรงจำเหล่านั้น ซึ่งมันก็คงมีบางอย่างในเรื่องเหล่าที่ทัชใจเรา และบางอย่างที่เรางง (เราไม่มี เรารักทุกเรื่อง เราลำเอียง แค่พูดให้ดูเป็นกลางหน่อย) แต่ไม่ว่าอย่างไร มันล้วนเป็นเรื่องราวธรรมดาที่พิเศษซึ่งไม่ว่าใครก็คงมีเรื่องที่ลืมไม่ลงไปจนวันตายแบบนี้เหมือนกัน
บ้านผีสิง
: ตล๊กกกกกกกกกกกกกก รอมคอมเมจิกเคิลเรียลลึซึ่ม 5555555555 ไม่รู้ว่าเพราะสถานะตอนวัยรุ่นใกล้ๆ กับตัวละครในเรื่องด้วยหรือเปล่าเลยมีความเข้าอกเข้าใจทั้งตัวพระนางที่มีความแตกต่างกันในจุดยืนนี้ด้วย จริงๆ แค่ตรงนี้ก็บอกได้แล้วว่างานของบานานานี่มัน timeless เขียนปี 2003 อ่านปี 2024 ก็ยังรีเลท
แม่จ๋า
: อ่านแล้วเศร้ากับความเป็นมาและเป็นไปของนางเอก อาจมีบางคนที่มองว่านางเอกไม่เมกเซนส์ ไม่โกรธคนวางยาตัวเองเลยหรอ แต่จริงๆ นี่คิดว่า ไม่โกรธก็ไม่แปลก พอได้รู้สถานการณ์ในอดีตของตัวนางเอกเลยยิ่งแบบ อ้อ เออ เข้าใจได้และมันเศร้า เป็นเรื่องความรักที่เศร้ามาก
ไม่อบอุ่นสักนิด
: ก็ไม่อบอุ่นจริงๆ เพราะความอบอุ่นมันหายไปแล้วเหลืออยู่แต่ในความทรงจำ แต่เรื่องในความทรงจำนั้นอบอุ่นมากเลยนะ เรื่องที่เล่าอบอุ่นมากเลยจนอ่านชื่อเรื่องก็ เอ่ ทำไมเขาตั้งชื่อนี้กันนะ เลยซึมๆ นึดนึง คูมป้ากล้วยนี่เก่งในการเล่นความรู้สึกขมๆ แต่ชื่นใจเหมือนกินชาเขียวเกรดพรีเมี่ยมเก่งจัง
ความสุขของโทโมะจัง
: เหมือน The Lake ฉบับกระชับ ซึมเป็นหมาตากแดดได้
ความทรงจำที่สุดปลายทาง
: ไอเลิป
บ้านผีสิง
: ตล๊กกกกกกกกกกกกกก รอมคอมเมจิกเคิลเรียลลึซึ่ม 5555555555 ไม่รู้ว่าเพราะสถานะตอนวัยรุ่นใกล้ๆ กับตัวละครในเรื่องด้วยหรือเปล่าเลยมีความเข้าอกเข้าใจทั้งตัวพระนางที่มีความแตกต่างกันในจุดยืนนี้ด้วย จริงๆ แค่ตรงนี้ก็บอกได้แล้วว่างานของบานานานี่มัน timeless เขียนปี 2003 อ่านปี 2024 ก็ยังรีเลท
แม่จ๋า
: อ่านแล้วเศร้ากับความเป็นมาและเป็นไปของนางเอก อาจมีบางคนที่มองว่านางเอกไม่เมกเซนส์ ไม่โกรธคนวางยาตัวเองเลยหรอ แต่จริงๆ นี่คิดว่า ไม่โกรธก็ไม่แปลก พอได้รู้สถานการณ์ในอดีตของตัวนางเอกเลยยิ่งแบบ อ้อ เออ เข้าใจได้และมันเศร้า เป็นเรื่องความรักที่เศร้ามาก
ไม่อบอุ่นสักนิด
: ก็ไม่อบอุ่นจริงๆ เพราะความอบอุ่นมันหายไปแล้วเหลืออยู่แต่ในความทรงจำ แต่เรื่องในความทรงจำนั้นอบอุ่นมากเลยนะ เรื่องที่เล่าอบอุ่นมากเลยจนอ่านชื่อเรื่องก็ เอ่ ทำไมเขาตั้งชื่อนี้กันนะ เลยซึมๆ นึดนึง คูมป้ากล้วยนี่เก่งในการเล่นความรู้สึกขมๆ แต่ชื่นใจเหมือนกินชาเขียวเกรดพรีเมี่ยมเก่งจัง
ความสุขของโทโมะจัง
: เหมือน The Lake ฉบับกระชับ ซึมเป็นหมาตากแดดได้
ความทรงจำที่สุดปลายทาง
: ไอเลิป
November 3, 2022
Having another Banana Yoshimoto to my read-shelf, and this too was one of my most anticipated released for this year. Consists of 5 stories with 5 women narrator, Dead-End Memories was crafted in a slice-of-life with emotionally driven theme following an intimate portrayal of grief, loneliness and recovery process emerging from the aftermath of a sudden and painful event that these women encountered.
Most stories revolved on a premise of love, friendship and family as well as career, so tenderly written and quite nimble despite how each representing and exploring a vivid element on despair and profound reminiscence, of past trauma and losing hope. The emotional alchemy to each narrator was so engrossingly written— loving both Secchan and Mimi from House Of Ghosts and Dead-End Memories the most for this. Tomo-chan’s Happiness was cute even though her backstory was quite distressing to me and I find Mama! as so entertainingly written yet so harrowing too considering how the poisoning incident affected the mental health of Matsuoka. Think I mostly love all the male characters as well; Iwakura from House Of Ghosts to Makoto from Not Warm At All (his story was too sad) and Nishiyama from Dead-End Memories (I know he would go and get that damn car back!). It was bittersweet and delightful, and knowing Yoshimoto’s style that she can be both melancholic and poetic with her prose, I was hooked drowning inside her narrator’s solitude of thoughts.
I couldn’t pick one that I love the most out of these 5 stories but both House Of Ghosts (the surreal part of it was too enticing) and Dead-End Memories (love the ending!) did hit me with a pleasant hangover afterwards. If you want to try a quiet-pace sentimental-infused collection of stories with nothing fancy or even twisty thrilling plot, then this’ll be a recommendation to you. 4 stars to this!
Huge thanks to Times Reads for sending me a copy for review!
Most stories revolved on a premise of love, friendship and family as well as career, so tenderly written and quite nimble despite how each representing and exploring a vivid element on despair and profound reminiscence, of past trauma and losing hope. The emotional alchemy to each narrator was so engrossingly written— loving both Secchan and Mimi from House Of Ghosts and Dead-End Memories the most for this. Tomo-chan’s Happiness was cute even though her backstory was quite distressing to me and I find Mama! as so entertainingly written yet so harrowing too considering how the poisoning incident affected the mental health of Matsuoka. Think I mostly love all the male characters as well; Iwakura from House Of Ghosts to Makoto from Not Warm At All (his story was too sad) and Nishiyama from Dead-End Memories (I know he would go and get that damn car back!). It was bittersweet and delightful, and knowing Yoshimoto’s style that she can be both melancholic and poetic with her prose, I was hooked drowning inside her narrator’s solitude of thoughts.
I couldn’t pick one that I love the most out of these 5 stories but both House Of Ghosts (the surreal part of it was too enticing) and Dead-End Memories (love the ending!) did hit me with a pleasant hangover afterwards. If you want to try a quiet-pace sentimental-infused collection of stories with nothing fancy or even twisty thrilling plot, then this’ll be a recommendation to you. 4 stars to this!
Huge thanks to Times Reads for sending me a copy for review!
December 11, 2023
"I was also learning that every single person in the world had been hurt by their family at some point. I wasn't special at all—some people dealt with it well, and some didn't, but that was the only difference, and either way, we were all nourished and cherished by our families, and at the same time limited and defined by them—that was what it meant to be human, I understood."
This book is made up of five short stories. Each is bizarre in its own way, like other Japanese literatures, but I learn a lot from every single one of them. It explores the theme of love, life, death, and heartbreak. The short stories are as follows:
1. House of Ghosts 4/5
It's about a person living in a haunted building. After developing a relationship with a girl, both of them decide to send off the ghosts with one last favorite meal of theirs as an offering. I think it was very thoughtful.
2. Mama! 3/5
Of a daughter reminiscing her childhood. She begins pondering the whereabouts of her mama upon a misfortune that befell her unexpectedly.
3. Not Warm At All 4/5
Tells about a boy who yearns for the "light" from a small family of a girl he befriends with. How he thinks that warmth doesn't come from bright lights, rather it's radiating from the people that shine.
4. Tomo-chan's Happiness 3/5
Focusing on Tomo-chan and how she makes peace with the world, finding happiness in even the smallest things.
5. Dead-end Memories 5/5
About holding on to something that's already slipping from your fingertips and learning how to live a life again. I love this one best.
March 1, 2016
Lo peculiar de Yoshimoto es la delicadeza con la que encara la melancolía que está presente en cada uno de los relatos. Es complejo escribir de la pérdida de un ser querido sin caer en tópicos, en victimismos o en sentimentalismos. Pues bien, Yoshimoto lo consigue y lo hace de un modo muy natural. No necesita grandes párrafos ni palabras farragosas para hablar de algo que todos tenemos dentro de nosotros, que es tan normal como la vida misma. Ahí radica su éxito: huye de las grandes pretensiones y se queda con lo pequeño, con los sentimientos que radican en lo más profundo de nuestro ser, en los pensamientos que en ocasiones no nos confesamos ni a nosotros mismos.
https://lahierbaroja.wordpress.com/20...
https://lahierbaroja.wordpress.com/20...
November 22, 2022
A beautiful collection of stories. The title story, Dead-End Memories, was my favourite. Banana Yoshimoto remains such a favourite author of mine.
November 2, 2020
Cuánto me alegro de haberle dado una oportunidad a Banana. Si me hubiera ganado el mal sabor que me dejó Kitchen, me hubiera perdido este hermoso, triste y delicado libro.
Banana, no nos pidas disculpas. Es un libro bello, con tristeza y todo. Es más, no me dejó tristeza alguna, para nada. Al contrario, al terminarlo quedé con el kokoro llenito. Ya lo puse como uno de mis libros favoritos de todos los tiempos (eso le diría a Banana si me la encontrara en la calle y supiera japonés).
Para los que no conocen a Banana y no saben con qué libro partir, les digo a todos ustedes que este es su libro.
Todas las frases favoritas
La casa de los fantasmas:
Yo apenas tenía amigos, y los pocos que tenía dedicaban su tiempo a pequeños trabajos, sin apenas pasarse por clases. Suele ocurrir en estúpidas universidades privadas.
Esa sensibilidad espontánea es propia de quien ha recibido algo sumamente valioso de sus progenitores.
Cualquiera puede ser amable si vive tranquilo y tiene dinero y tiempo, ¿no te parece? Pero entonces sólo se es amable en ciertas circunstancias. Y las cosas malas y turbias que uno lleva en su interior van creciendo. Quizás acabaría viviendo para siempre con una bondad superficial.
Tienes razón, tengo mi propia vida, pero para mis padres sigo siendo un bebé.
Esa noche tampoco pasó nada, como de costumbre, y mi corazón no se encendió en absoluto, de modo que me dije que aquella relación era de esas que no llegan a nada más y quedan en una buena amistad.
Si me hubieran dicho que me habían traído al mundo sólo para transmitir a las generaciones venideras el sabor de aquella sopa de miso, no me habría molestado en absoluto.
Incluso los utensilios del restaurante, utilizados y pulidos día tras día, adquirían colores profundos. También la vida de la abuela, que habría tenido que ir al restaurante y preparar la misma comida todos los días, me parecía de una profundidad sublime.
Yo, que sólo contaba con mi juventud, nada pude hacer para evitar que se gustaran y me limité a contemplar apesadumbrada cómo se desarrollaba todo.
Creo que los postres son como sueños que hacen felices a las personas…
¡Qué sensual puede llegar a ser el cielo nublado en invierno! Ese color gris, esas nubes espesas, el viento que sopla… Todo parece hecho para que dos personas se den calor la una a la otra. En medio de ese gris infinito, te entran ganas de estar en casa. De entregarte a los placeres de la carne en casa, sin duda el mejor lugar para eso.
Me resulta difícil describir la peculiar sensación de comodidad que experimentaba cuando hablaba con él de cualquier tontería… No era como estar en familia, ni tampoco diría que fuera divertido. Simplemente, se creaba una sintonía entre los dos y la conversación se prolongaba.
Sentirse solo a pesar de tener un hogar al que regresar, a pesar de ser amado…, puede que en eso consista ser joven.
No podía dejar de llorar al pensar que, si las cosas hubieran sido distintas, tal vez hubiéramos sido muy felices juntos, y que ahora quizá jamás volveríamos a vernos.
Yo creía que lo que nos unía era el sexo, pero luego me di cuenta de que no, de que con el simple hecho de charlar con él sentía una energía indescriptible que surgía del fondo del estómago y recorría todo mi cuerpo.
Me había sentido tan sola y triste que ni me había dado cuenta de qué me faltaba. Eso era lo que me transmitía mi alma.
Durante mi vida he pasado por muchos momentos fastidiosos, pero en todas las ocasiones he acabado confesando que también eso formaba parte de mí.
Si no nos hubiéramos hecho adultos, seguro que ni nos habríamos dado cuenta de manera tan reveladora, tras una separación prolongada, de que esas horas absurdas que pasábamos en el kotatsu –horas de intimidad, callados o charlando tranquilamente, a veces con cierto hastío, expresando nuestras opiniones con firmeza pero sin roces y escuchando al otro con admiración- pueden ser infinitamente más valiosas que, por ejemplo, hacer el amor o pelearse para luego reconciliarse apasionadamente.
¡Mamáaa!
Aunque el asunto sea serio, todavía hoy esbozo una sonrisa cuando recuerdo esos tiernos instantes de paz e inseguridad antes del desastre.
Era un abatimiento difícil de describir, como si anímicamente me hubiera hundido. Aunque no hiciera nada, tenía la sensación de que la energía que había en mi cuerpo se derramaba y escurría, como si fuera agua y que dentro de mí solo quedaba una especia de trapo empapado.
Sin duda, tengo una herida en el corazón, pero ya me he enfrentado suficientemente a ella, aunque puede que no lo haya superado, porque no recuerdo bien mi infancia. Pero mis abuelos siempre me han tratado como si fuera su propia hija y eso nunca me ha faltado cariño. No va a producirse ningún cambio de improvisto en mi persona, así que estate tranquilo.
Cada vez que salían en la conversación mis padres, la familia o mis recuerdos de infancia, lo que tenía delante de mis ojos se oscurecía, y sentía que se formaba un bulto pesado en mi interior. Por suerte, enseguida desaparecía.
Tenía la sensación de que, ya durante la adolescencia, cuando todos a mí alrededor andaban con amoríos, y después, cuando empecé a trabajar y todos a mí alrededor se casaban, yo vivía inmensa en mi mundo interior, un mundo que yo todavía trataba de proteger.
A las personas que se divertían con el amor, las veía de ese modo. “Qué suerte poder jugar con los sentimientos de los demás sin mayor problema…”, me decía yo.
No dudaba del cariño que me profesaban mis abuelos, y es cierto que me sentía en deuda con ellos por haberme “adoptado”. Nunca olvidaba que me alojaba en la casa de unas personas que me adoraban, y que, aunque me alegrase de ello, debía de causarles los menores problemas posibles.
Con el tiempo caí en la cuenta de que no hay nadie en este mundo que, alguna vez en su vida, no se haya sentido herido por algo relacionado con la familia. Yo no era una excepción; descubrí que algunos lo llevan bien y otro no, y que incluso los que crecen rodeados por el amor de su familia siempre estarán condicionados por ella.
Construir mi propia familia era algo sumamente importante para mí.
Empecé a pensar que, tal vez, ésa era la clase de vida que yo quería para mí. Una vida que me llevaba a desear pasar así el resto de mis días: sin hastío, con una sensación de paz y estabilidad.
Podría decirse que el incidente del curry sucedió en el momento en que comenzaba a desaparecer el absurdo nerviosismo que siempre me embargaba, ese nerviosismo que había alejado de mí a todos los hombres.
Yo siempre había estado convencida de que no ocupaba un espacio demasiado grande en el mundo.
“Los niños que sufren malos tratos son capaces de separar el dolor físico del dolor del corazón”.
Ya no sé qué es verdad y qué no. En realidad, soy incapaz de distinguir cuánto hay de cierto en mis recuerdos y cuánto es fruto de mi invención.
Comprendí que, por mi carácter, me resulta imposible cambiar algo una vez que lo he decidido. Y que, ante esa obstinación, nadie a mi alrededor se atrevía a interferir.
Esa prudencia excesiva, esa rigidez, el ser incapaz de entenderme a mí misma, el pavor sin límites a la felicidad, quizá todo se debía a la falta de diafanidad de mis recuerdos.
Era triste haber perdido todo contacto con mi madre, pero existía un poderoso motivo y ella nunca había tratado de ponerse en contacto conmigo, así que me imaginaba que habría rehecho su vida. Ojalá le fuera bien.
A veces siento un dolor en el pecho y todo se me antoja insoportable. Es como si ni siquiera yo supiera cuál es mi lugar en el mundo.
Nunca me habría imaginado, como suele ocurrir después de una desgracia, que los días en que no sucede nada pudieran ser tan tranquilos u maravillosos.
A mí nunca me había gustado mirar al pasado, pero tampoco solía pensar demasiado en el futuro. Por eso jamás hubiera imaginado que en mi interior pudiese haber una especie de pantano de tristezas estancadas que cualquier circunstancia imprevista podía hacer aflorar.
La luz que hay dentro de las personas:
Solo siento que me encuentro terriblemente sola y, sin embargo, como sé que alguien, en alguna parte, está experimentando lo mismo que yo, tengo la impresión de no estar sola.
Dado que tenía una salud delicada y no me divertía demasiado jugar fuera con los demás niños, pasé buena parte de mi niñez en mi habitación, mirando los libros que cogía a escondidas de la librería.
Quizás, a causa de mi carácter sereno, necesitaba ver algo en movimiento.
También comprendí que sentarse en un café y observar a los transeúntes era exactamente igual que observar el fluir de un río.
El pavor que infunde el río es el pavor y la inmensidad inescrutable que suscita el fluir del tiempo.
Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida:
Ahora me doy cuenta: entonces, pese a que me encontraba en uno de mis peores momentos, yo vivía en la mayor de mis felicidades.
A mí siempre me llevaba mucho tiempo hacer cualquier cosa.
Esa odiosa ciudad en la que todo el mundo tenía un lugar adonde ir, en la que todos llevaban una vida normal. Yo estaba sola.
A mí también me preocupaba mi nivel de idiotez.
Sin duda, tenía la suerte de que mi familia me amaba. Así había sido toda la vida.
Me di cuenta de lo opresivos que pueden llegar a ser unos lazos familiares tan sólidos.
Creo que me atraía aún más porque no estaba enamorada de él.
Solo soy demasiado niña. Y es que he crecido en un ambiente en que se alegran de que sea así.
En este mundo, cada uno tiene su particular abismo. Mis desgracias o las tuyas son nimias, en el mundo hay cosas mucho peores, cosas que, si nos ocurrieran a nosotros, nos destrozarían y nos matarían al instante.
Estoy convencida de que es el entorno en el que yo misma, no sé cuándo ni dónde, elegí nacer.
“¡Qué maravilla! Me basta con que él esté a mi lado; no necesito que sea mío. Todo el mundo disfruta recostándose bajo los grandes árboles que crecen en el parque, y pese a todo, esos árboles no pertenecen a nadie.”
Como estaba sola, lo que leía me calaba hondo, y la tristeza había agudizado mi sensibilidad hasta el punto de que captaba los cambios de estación con tal vivacidad que parecía apresarlos con mis manos.
¿Sabes?, que una persona esté siempre en casa, lleve siempre la misma vida y a primera vista parezca sosegada, no significa que sea una persona simple, encerrada en sí misma y apalancada. Eso indica una mentalidad tremendamente pobre. Sin embargo, la mayoría de la gente lo cree así, cuando en realidad nuestro interior puede ampliarse hasta el infinito. Son muchos los que ni siquiera hacen el esfuerzo de imaginar el tesoro que duerme en el corazón de los demás.
Banana, no nos pidas disculpas. Es un libro bello, con tristeza y todo. Es más, no me dejó tristeza alguna, para nada. Al contrario, al terminarlo quedé con el kokoro llenito. Ya lo puse como uno de mis libros favoritos de todos los tiempos (eso le diría a Banana si me la encontrara en la calle y supiera japonés).
Para los que no conocen a Banana y no saben con qué libro partir, les digo a todos ustedes que este es su libro.
Todas las frases favoritas
La casa de los fantasmas:
Yo apenas tenía amigos, y los pocos que tenía dedicaban su tiempo a pequeños trabajos, sin apenas pasarse por clases. Suele ocurrir en estúpidas universidades privadas.
Esa sensibilidad espontánea es propia de quien ha recibido algo sumamente valioso de sus progenitores.
Cualquiera puede ser amable si vive tranquilo y tiene dinero y tiempo, ¿no te parece? Pero entonces sólo se es amable en ciertas circunstancias. Y las cosas malas y turbias que uno lleva en su interior van creciendo. Quizás acabaría viviendo para siempre con una bondad superficial.
Tienes razón, tengo mi propia vida, pero para mis padres sigo siendo un bebé.
Esa noche tampoco pasó nada, como de costumbre, y mi corazón no se encendió en absoluto, de modo que me dije que aquella relación era de esas que no llegan a nada más y quedan en una buena amistad.
Si me hubieran dicho que me habían traído al mundo sólo para transmitir a las generaciones venideras el sabor de aquella sopa de miso, no me habría molestado en absoluto.
Incluso los utensilios del restaurante, utilizados y pulidos día tras día, adquirían colores profundos. También la vida de la abuela, que habría tenido que ir al restaurante y preparar la misma comida todos los días, me parecía de una profundidad sublime.
Yo, que sólo contaba con mi juventud, nada pude hacer para evitar que se gustaran y me limité a contemplar apesadumbrada cómo se desarrollaba todo.
Creo que los postres son como sueños que hacen felices a las personas…
¡Qué sensual puede llegar a ser el cielo nublado en invierno! Ese color gris, esas nubes espesas, el viento que sopla… Todo parece hecho para que dos personas se den calor la una a la otra. En medio de ese gris infinito, te entran ganas de estar en casa. De entregarte a los placeres de la carne en casa, sin duda el mejor lugar para eso.
Me resulta difícil describir la peculiar sensación de comodidad que experimentaba cuando hablaba con él de cualquier tontería… No era como estar en familia, ni tampoco diría que fuera divertido. Simplemente, se creaba una sintonía entre los dos y la conversación se prolongaba.
Sentirse solo a pesar de tener un hogar al que regresar, a pesar de ser amado…, puede que en eso consista ser joven.
No podía dejar de llorar al pensar que, si las cosas hubieran sido distintas, tal vez hubiéramos sido muy felices juntos, y que ahora quizá jamás volveríamos a vernos.
Yo creía que lo que nos unía era el sexo, pero luego me di cuenta de que no, de que con el simple hecho de charlar con él sentía una energía indescriptible que surgía del fondo del estómago y recorría todo mi cuerpo.
Me había sentido tan sola y triste que ni me había dado cuenta de qué me faltaba. Eso era lo que me transmitía mi alma.
Durante mi vida he pasado por muchos momentos fastidiosos, pero en todas las ocasiones he acabado confesando que también eso formaba parte de mí.
Si no nos hubiéramos hecho adultos, seguro que ni nos habríamos dado cuenta de manera tan reveladora, tras una separación prolongada, de que esas horas absurdas que pasábamos en el kotatsu –horas de intimidad, callados o charlando tranquilamente, a veces con cierto hastío, expresando nuestras opiniones con firmeza pero sin roces y escuchando al otro con admiración- pueden ser infinitamente más valiosas que, por ejemplo, hacer el amor o pelearse para luego reconciliarse apasionadamente.
¡Mamáaa!
Aunque el asunto sea serio, todavía hoy esbozo una sonrisa cuando recuerdo esos tiernos instantes de paz e inseguridad antes del desastre.
Era un abatimiento difícil de describir, como si anímicamente me hubiera hundido. Aunque no hiciera nada, tenía la sensación de que la energía que había en mi cuerpo se derramaba y escurría, como si fuera agua y que dentro de mí solo quedaba una especia de trapo empapado.
Sin duda, tengo una herida en el corazón, pero ya me he enfrentado suficientemente a ella, aunque puede que no lo haya superado, porque no recuerdo bien mi infancia. Pero mis abuelos siempre me han tratado como si fuera su propia hija y eso nunca me ha faltado cariño. No va a producirse ningún cambio de improvisto en mi persona, así que estate tranquilo.
Cada vez que salían en la conversación mis padres, la familia o mis recuerdos de infancia, lo que tenía delante de mis ojos se oscurecía, y sentía que se formaba un bulto pesado en mi interior. Por suerte, enseguida desaparecía.
Tenía la sensación de que, ya durante la adolescencia, cuando todos a mí alrededor andaban con amoríos, y después, cuando empecé a trabajar y todos a mí alrededor se casaban, yo vivía inmensa en mi mundo interior, un mundo que yo todavía trataba de proteger.
A las personas que se divertían con el amor, las veía de ese modo. “Qué suerte poder jugar con los sentimientos de los demás sin mayor problema…”, me decía yo.
No dudaba del cariño que me profesaban mis abuelos, y es cierto que me sentía en deuda con ellos por haberme “adoptado”. Nunca olvidaba que me alojaba en la casa de unas personas que me adoraban, y que, aunque me alegrase de ello, debía de causarles los menores problemas posibles.
Con el tiempo caí en la cuenta de que no hay nadie en este mundo que, alguna vez en su vida, no se haya sentido herido por algo relacionado con la familia. Yo no era una excepción; descubrí que algunos lo llevan bien y otro no, y que incluso los que crecen rodeados por el amor de su familia siempre estarán condicionados por ella.
Construir mi propia familia era algo sumamente importante para mí.
Empecé a pensar que, tal vez, ésa era la clase de vida que yo quería para mí. Una vida que me llevaba a desear pasar así el resto de mis días: sin hastío, con una sensación de paz y estabilidad.
Podría decirse que el incidente del curry sucedió en el momento en que comenzaba a desaparecer el absurdo nerviosismo que siempre me embargaba, ese nerviosismo que había alejado de mí a todos los hombres.
Yo siempre había estado convencida de que no ocupaba un espacio demasiado grande en el mundo.
“Los niños que sufren malos tratos son capaces de separar el dolor físico del dolor del corazón”.
Ya no sé qué es verdad y qué no. En realidad, soy incapaz de distinguir cuánto hay de cierto en mis recuerdos y cuánto es fruto de mi invención.
Comprendí que, por mi carácter, me resulta imposible cambiar algo una vez que lo he decidido. Y que, ante esa obstinación, nadie a mi alrededor se atrevía a interferir.
Esa prudencia excesiva, esa rigidez, el ser incapaz de entenderme a mí misma, el pavor sin límites a la felicidad, quizá todo se debía a la falta de diafanidad de mis recuerdos.
Era triste haber perdido todo contacto con mi madre, pero existía un poderoso motivo y ella nunca había tratado de ponerse en contacto conmigo, así que me imaginaba que habría rehecho su vida. Ojalá le fuera bien.
A veces siento un dolor en el pecho y todo se me antoja insoportable. Es como si ni siquiera yo supiera cuál es mi lugar en el mundo.
Nunca me habría imaginado, como suele ocurrir después de una desgracia, que los días en que no sucede nada pudieran ser tan tranquilos u maravillosos.
A mí nunca me había gustado mirar al pasado, pero tampoco solía pensar demasiado en el futuro. Por eso jamás hubiera imaginado que en mi interior pudiese haber una especie de pantano de tristezas estancadas que cualquier circunstancia imprevista podía hacer aflorar.
La luz que hay dentro de las personas:
Solo siento que me encuentro terriblemente sola y, sin embargo, como sé que alguien, en alguna parte, está experimentando lo mismo que yo, tengo la impresión de no estar sola.
Dado que tenía una salud delicada y no me divertía demasiado jugar fuera con los demás niños, pasé buena parte de mi niñez en mi habitación, mirando los libros que cogía a escondidas de la librería.
Quizás, a causa de mi carácter sereno, necesitaba ver algo en movimiento.
También comprendí que sentarse en un café y observar a los transeúntes era exactamente igual que observar el fluir de un río.
El pavor que infunde el río es el pavor y la inmensidad inescrutable que suscita el fluir del tiempo.
Recuerdos de un callejón sin salida:
Ahora me doy cuenta: entonces, pese a que me encontraba en uno de mis peores momentos, yo vivía en la mayor de mis felicidades.
A mí siempre me llevaba mucho tiempo hacer cualquier cosa.
Esa odiosa ciudad en la que todo el mundo tenía un lugar adonde ir, en la que todos llevaban una vida normal. Yo estaba sola.
A mí también me preocupaba mi nivel de idiotez.
Sin duda, tenía la suerte de que mi familia me amaba. Así había sido toda la vida.
Me di cuenta de lo opresivos que pueden llegar a ser unos lazos familiares tan sólidos.
Creo que me atraía aún más porque no estaba enamorada de él.
Solo soy demasiado niña. Y es que he crecido en un ambiente en que se alegran de que sea así.
En este mundo, cada uno tiene su particular abismo. Mis desgracias o las tuyas son nimias, en el mundo hay cosas mucho peores, cosas que, si nos ocurrieran a nosotros, nos destrozarían y nos matarían al instante.
Estoy convencida de que es el entorno en el que yo misma, no sé cuándo ni dónde, elegí nacer.
“¡Qué maravilla! Me basta con que él esté a mi lado; no necesito que sea mío. Todo el mundo disfruta recostándose bajo los grandes árboles que crecen en el parque, y pese a todo, esos árboles no pertenecen a nadie.”
Como estaba sola, lo que leía me calaba hondo, y la tristeza había agudizado mi sensibilidad hasta el punto de que captaba los cambios de estación con tal vivacidad que parecía apresarlos con mis manos.
¿Sabes?, que una persona esté siempre en casa, lleve siempre la misma vida y a primera vista parezca sosegada, no significa que sea una persona simple, encerrada en sí misma y apalancada. Eso indica una mentalidad tremendamente pobre. Sin embargo, la mayoría de la gente lo cree así, cuando en realidad nuestro interior puede ampliarse hasta el infinito. Son muchos los que ni siquiera hacen el esfuerzo de imaginar el tesoro que duerme en el corazón de los demás.
May 3, 2023
Dead-End Memories: Stories - Banana Yoshimoto
"أحببت الطريقة التي بدا بها عندما كان سعيدًا. لطالما اعتقدت أن هناك شيئًا فريدًا في علاقته بالسعادة، لكنني لم أتمكن من تحديده قط."
مجموعة قصصية مكونة من خمس قصص قصيرة، دافئة وحواراتها عفوية وحميمية وقريبة من القلب .
أتساءل لمَ لم أقرأ لبنانا يوشيموتو من قبل، وهي التي تكتب وتفوز بالجوائز منذ عشرات السنوات، هذه المجموعة القصصية هي أحدث ما ترجم لها إلى الانجليزية ونشرت عام 2022م، وأرجو أن أراها مترجمة إلى العربية قريبًا.
"أحببت الطريقة التي بدا بها عندما كان سعيدًا. لطالما اعتقدت أن هناك شيئًا فريدًا في علاقته بالسعادة، لكنني لم أتمكن من تحديده قط."
مجموعة قصصية مكونة من خمس قصص قصيرة، دافئة وحواراتها عفوية وحميمية وقريبة من القلب .
أتساءل لمَ لم أقرأ لبنانا يوشيموتو من قبل، وهي التي تكتب وتفوز بالجوائز منذ عشرات السنوات، هذه المجموعة القصصية هي أحدث ما ترجم لها إلى الانجليزية ونشرت عام 2022م، وأرجو أن أراها مترجمة إلى العربية قريبًا.
January 13, 2025
Banana Yoshimoto is such a special author to me, as she always captures the moments and feelings I'm often searching for in my everyday life. Reading this short story collection over the course of a few winter days was like a healing balm for my soul.
These stories follow women on a journey of love, longing, grief, making their way through difficult transitions in life, navigating the next phase in a new journey. Some of the stories explored darker topics, but with Yoshimoto's ability to create magic in the mundane, it really helped to keep the reading experience balanced. This book pays loving attention to the importance of a warm room, a hot drink, a meal shared with a loved one, a winter sky, a yellow autumn leaf. Just those small moments are enough to sucker punch me in the gut.
I found the stories incredibly moving, and I had a real emotional attachment to these characters, though only getting to know them in a short span of pages, my stomach was turning with the wish for it to all work out. But Yoshimoto always keeps a cool balance. Sometimes in these stories it doesn't work out. That relationship, that dream, life doesn't unfold as you want it to. But what I love the most, is that despite this, these stories always end on a hopeful note, on a look towards better things to come, on a search for light within the dark. It feels so grounded, and I always appreciate it.
All stories I found excellent, but my favourite was House of Ghosts. I found it the most comforting, the most affecting, and I love when Yoshimoto dabbles into the surreal. Just adored. I can't wait to read all of Yoshimoto, but I never want the day to come when I have no more new books of her to read.
"There was something inviting and warm about a bedroom at night with a TV light on. It was a place where all the loneliness and fear of the outside world seemed to melt away."
Banana Yoshimoto, reading your books is like a bedroom at night with a TV light on.
These stories follow women on a journey of love, longing, grief, making their way through difficult transitions in life, navigating the next phase in a new journey. Some of the stories explored darker topics, but with Yoshimoto's ability to create magic in the mundane, it really helped to keep the reading experience balanced. This book pays loving attention to the importance of a warm room, a hot drink, a meal shared with a loved one, a winter sky, a yellow autumn leaf. Just those small moments are enough to sucker punch me in the gut.
I found the stories incredibly moving, and I had a real emotional attachment to these characters, though only getting to know them in a short span of pages, my stomach was turning with the wish for it to all work out. But Yoshimoto always keeps a cool balance. Sometimes in these stories it doesn't work out. That relationship, that dream, life doesn't unfold as you want it to. But what I love the most, is that despite this, these stories always end on a hopeful note, on a look towards better things to come, on a search for light within the dark. It feels so grounded, and I always appreciate it.
All stories I found excellent, but my favourite was House of Ghosts. I found it the most comforting, the most affecting, and I love when Yoshimoto dabbles into the surreal. Just adored. I can't wait to read all of Yoshimoto, but I never want the day to come when I have no more new books of her to read.
"There was something inviting and warm about a bedroom at night with a TV light on. It was a place where all the loneliness and fear of the outside world seemed to melt away."
Banana Yoshimoto, reading your books is like a bedroom at night with a TV light on.
November 18, 2016
Pues me ha gustado mucho, pese a la tristeza que predomina en cada uno de los cuentos.
No creo que el tema principal sea el desamor, como he leído en alguna reseña por aquí; para mí, el tema principal es lo contrario: el amor. El amor en la familia, el amor a lo que te rodea (naturaleza, edificios, música...) el amor en la pareja... Pero creo que, aún más presente que el amor, en estos cinco cuentos el tema principal gira entorno a la infancia.
Dejo aquí unas pocas de las muchas frases que he subrayado:
«Los niños que sufren malos tratos son capaces de separar el dolor físico del dolor del corazón».
Ya no sé qué es verdad y qué no. En realidad, soy incapaz de distinguir cuánto hay de cierto en mis recuerdos y cuánto es fruto de mi invención. Hay algo, no obstante, de lo que sí estoy segura: en la guardería me prestaban especial atención porque siempre aparecía con moratones y quemaduras.
Los instantes de silencio siempre habían sido muy importantes para su alma.
Creo que sé aceptar cualquier circunstancia y adaptarme a ella...
No creo que el tema principal sea el desamor, como he leído en alguna reseña por aquí; para mí, el tema principal es lo contrario: el amor. El amor en la familia, el amor a lo que te rodea (naturaleza, edificios, música...) el amor en la pareja... Pero creo que, aún más presente que el amor, en estos cinco cuentos el tema principal gira entorno a la infancia.
Dejo aquí unas pocas de las muchas frases que he subrayado:
«Los niños que sufren malos tratos son capaces de separar el dolor físico del dolor del corazón».
Ya no sé qué es verdad y qué no. En realidad, soy incapaz de distinguir cuánto hay de cierto en mis recuerdos y cuánto es fruto de mi invención. Hay algo, no obstante, de lo que sí estoy segura: en la guardería me prestaban especial atención porque siempre aparecía con moratones y quemaduras.
Los instantes de silencio siempre habían sido muy importantes para su alma.
Creo que sé aceptar cualquier circunstancia y adaptarme a ella...
September 25, 2022
The book is a collection of five stories that tackle emotions like loss, tragedy, hope, longing, and love. I hadn’t read anything by the author till now, so this was a pleasant surprise. While all the stories have a deeper meaning behind them, they are simple, lighthearted reads with strange and sometimes melancholic undertones.
January 2, 2022
What's with Yoshimoto's heavenly talent to write such sad and nostalgic stories that shake me completely? I never get tired of the sensitivity and (unexpected) comfort I find in her writing. Hope I can pick up another book of hers soon!
(Also, kudos to me for finally finishing my first full-length novel in Japanese, yay!)
(Also, kudos to me for finally finishing my first full-length novel in Japanese, yay!)
May 9, 2023
this book is about life, death— and all the precious relationships formed in between, with people we meet at different points in our lives.
reading this book felt like a tapestry of light was filling my mind, engulfing my brain in the most beautiful colours and slowly soothing me to sleep. yoshimoto really has a way with making everything, even the mundane, feel so wonderful, even though they are only fleeting moments in our day-to-day. as if in a waking dream, i waded through her words and relished being able to experience them so vividly.
each story felt iridescent, sparkling, like they were each a kaleidoscope of all the minute details yoshimoto has thrown into the mix and embellished. they tell of love and loss, grief and healing, intimate friendships, and deep bonds between family. they capture the very essence of how it is to live, how absolutely flawed human beings can be— and this is precisely why there is beauty in our lives, because we, as humans, are imperfect, and every finite minute should be cherished.
through these stories, we are reassured that someday indeed, just like the protagonists— we will be able to move on from all the burdens we face. it will take time, of course, but surely, we will get there as well.
once again i say, her writing has made me feel emotions i never knew i could feel, and it’s why i will never, ever get tired of reading her books.
it’s been a while since i last read a yoshimoto, and finally picking one up again after all this time feels like my soul has been rejuvenated. this book just reminded me why i love literature, why i will always, always love beautiful stories.
a masterpiece, without a doubt: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 #niquereviews @bananayoshimoto2017
reading this book felt like a tapestry of light was filling my mind, engulfing my brain in the most beautiful colours and slowly soothing me to sleep. yoshimoto really has a way with making everything, even the mundane, feel so wonderful, even though they are only fleeting moments in our day-to-day. as if in a waking dream, i waded through her words and relished being able to experience them so vividly.
each story felt iridescent, sparkling, like they were each a kaleidoscope of all the minute details yoshimoto has thrown into the mix and embellished. they tell of love and loss, grief and healing, intimate friendships, and deep bonds between family. they capture the very essence of how it is to live, how absolutely flawed human beings can be— and this is precisely why there is beauty in our lives, because we, as humans, are imperfect, and every finite minute should be cherished.
through these stories, we are reassured that someday indeed, just like the protagonists— we will be able to move on from all the burdens we face. it will take time, of course, but surely, we will get there as well.
once again i say, her writing has made me feel emotions i never knew i could feel, and it’s why i will never, ever get tired of reading her books.
it’s been a while since i last read a yoshimoto, and finally picking one up again after all this time feels like my soul has been rejuvenated. this book just reminded me why i love literature, why i will always, always love beautiful stories.
a masterpiece, without a doubt: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 #niquereviews @bananayoshimoto2017
December 9, 2017
"Los lectores, al acabar su lectura, quizá se pregunten: "¿Porqué pagar por leer algo tan triste?". Les pido disculpas, pero creo que esa tristeza (en caso de que la hayan sentido al leer la obra) era, en cierta medida, necesaria."
Pucha que tenía razón Banana Yoshimoto, si, es cierto, su libro es triste y nostálgico, pero no deja de ser hermoso y sobre todo esperanzador (Que es algo que no se ve mucho en la literatura japonesa).
Es el primer libro que leo y de ella y me enamoré de su forma de narrar, lloré mucho con el libro, pero eso no es malo, me sentí super feliz al terminar cada cuento~ así que Banana se adjudica el number 1 de escritores descubiertos este 2017.
Entonces entorno los ojos y reconozco mi mundo, el mundo que una vez contemplé desde fuera gracias a extrañas circunstancias. Después rezo por los que en cierto momento se alejaron de mí.
Las personas con las que pude haber mantenido otro tipo de relación, pero con las cuales las cosas no marcharon bien. Mis padres, mis antiguos novios, los amigos que dejé atrás... Quizás también Yamazoe se encuentra entre ellas.
"Me ha hecho esto sin mi consentimiento. Ha utilizado su fuerza masculina de una manera tan vil... estoy segura de que pagará por lo que me ha hecho". Ese pensamiento se convirtió en un maleficio que, si bien carecía de maldad, era puro y poderoso.
"Sentirse solo a pesar de tener un hogar al que regresar, a pesar de ser amado...puede que en eso consista ser joven"
Pucha que tenía razón Banana Yoshimoto, si, es cierto, su libro es triste y nostálgico, pero no deja de ser hermoso y sobre todo esperanzador (Que es algo que no se ve mucho en la literatura japonesa).
Es el primer libro que leo y de ella y me enamoré de su forma de narrar, lloré mucho con el libro, pero eso no es malo, me sentí super feliz al terminar cada cuento~ así que Banana se adjudica el number 1 de escritores descubiertos este 2017.
Entonces entorno los ojos y reconozco mi mundo, el mundo que una vez contemplé desde fuera gracias a extrañas circunstancias. Después rezo por los que en cierto momento se alejaron de mí.
Las personas con las que pude haber mantenido otro tipo de relación, pero con las cuales las cosas no marcharon bien. Mis padres, mis antiguos novios, los amigos que dejé atrás... Quizás también Yamazoe se encuentra entre ellas.
"Me ha hecho esto sin mi consentimiento. Ha utilizado su fuerza masculina de una manera tan vil... estoy segura de que pagará por lo que me ha hecho". Ese pensamiento se convirtió en un maleficio que, si bien carecía de maldad, era puro y poderoso.
"Sentirse solo a pesar de tener un hogar al que regresar, a pesar de ser amado...puede que en eso consista ser joven"
August 11, 2025
Book Review: Dead-End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto
I wanted a short book to read and Dead-End Memories ticked that box perfectly. I actually won it in a giveaway run by Allen & Unwin about a year ago, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The cover is beautiful—but what stood out even more was the Japanese writing style. It reminded me a lot of Before the Coffee Gets Cold—there’s something gentle, different, and slightly surreal about the way these stories are told.
There are four short stories, all totally different from one another. One of my favourites was House of Ghost, where I learned Japanese ghosts aren’t quite like the ones we’re used to. I loved the idea of leaving meals for them—such a unique cultural detail that felt oddly comforting. The book has subtle but lovely touches of Japan: cherry blossoms, soba noodle soup, cake rolls, and even curry (which I didn’t expect to be a thing in Japan, to be honest!).
Thematically, it’s not heavy or confusing. There aren’t deep, hidden meanings, but the writing still carries this quiet poetry to it—nothing sharp or jarring, just gentle, thoughtful storytelling. I finished the book with a very “what did I just read?” feeling, but in the best way.
If you’re looking for short stories that feel fresh and different, definitely give this one a go.
5 stars from me.
I wanted a short book to read and Dead-End Memories ticked that box perfectly. I actually won it in a giveaway run by Allen & Unwin about a year ago, and I’m glad I finally picked it up. The cover is beautiful—but what stood out even more was the Japanese writing style. It reminded me a lot of Before the Coffee Gets Cold—there’s something gentle, different, and slightly surreal about the way these stories are told.
There are four short stories, all totally different from one another. One of my favourites was House of Ghost, where I learned Japanese ghosts aren’t quite like the ones we’re used to. I loved the idea of leaving meals for them—such a unique cultural detail that felt oddly comforting. The book has subtle but lovely touches of Japan: cherry blossoms, soba noodle soup, cake rolls, and even curry (which I didn’t expect to be a thing in Japan, to be honest!).
Thematically, it’s not heavy or confusing. There aren’t deep, hidden meanings, but the writing still carries this quiet poetry to it—nothing sharp or jarring, just gentle, thoughtful storytelling. I finished the book with a very “what did I just read?” feeling, but in the best way.
If you’re looking for short stories that feel fresh and different, definitely give this one a go.
5 stars from me.
October 2, 2024
I have been meaning to pick up a book by Banana Yoshimoto, so I was STOKED to come home to a package from Allen and Unwin and find a finished copy of Dead End Memories inside it! Thank you SO much A&U for the gifted copy! 🤍
I’ll get straight to the point and tell you that this is now one of my favorite fiction books of the year… If not ever?! It’s short and sweet and packs a punch. The translation is the smoothest I’ve ever read and flows so wonderfully. The prose is gentle yet probing, and I was nodding along to sooo many of the phrases in here because I felt SO seen 😭 I’ve annotated this book very heavily because there were just so many moments in the book where I went “how is the author constantly able to put my thoughts and feelings down into words this seamlessly?”. The book is split into 5 short stories and I kid you not when I say I loved every single one of them. This NEVER happens, and I normally prefer one story over the other. Each one of them tugged at my heartstrings and affected me in such different ways. I love the emphasis on family, on taking breaks when you need it, on putting yourself first so you don’t lose yourself to someone else. I feel like I was reading a lifetime of stories in just 200 pages. It was an incredible journey and I loved every single moment of it.
This book feels like your loving grandmother telling you stories of her past. It’s soft and gentle in prose but brutally honest in the most simplistic manner. There is an almost fleeting feeling to the stories (maybe cause they’re way too short 😭😭), which makes you yearn for more. The romantic subplots in each story is also one of the best I’ve ever read! They reminded me of the romance in After Dark by Haruki Murakami, which had a very natural and realistic build up that it was believable! I adored the romance so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about the two characters even after finishing the book for a month 🥺 How this book manages to make me smile over the wholesome and sweet relationships in very little pages makes me LOVE this book even more. I love – LOVE this book to bits and highlyyyy recommend everyone pick this book up :’)
I’ll get straight to the point and tell you that this is now one of my favorite fiction books of the year… If not ever?! It’s short and sweet and packs a punch. The translation is the smoothest I’ve ever read and flows so wonderfully. The prose is gentle yet probing, and I was nodding along to sooo many of the phrases in here because I felt SO seen 😭 I’ve annotated this book very heavily because there were just so many moments in the book where I went “how is the author constantly able to put my thoughts and feelings down into words this seamlessly?”. The book is split into 5 short stories and I kid you not when I say I loved every single one of them. This NEVER happens, and I normally prefer one story over the other. Each one of them tugged at my heartstrings and affected me in such different ways. I love the emphasis on family, on taking breaks when you need it, on putting yourself first so you don’t lose yourself to someone else. I feel like I was reading a lifetime of stories in just 200 pages. It was an incredible journey and I loved every single moment of it.
This book feels like your loving grandmother telling you stories of her past. It’s soft and gentle in prose but brutally honest in the most simplistic manner. There is an almost fleeting feeling to the stories (maybe cause they’re way too short 😭😭), which makes you yearn for more. The romantic subplots in each story is also one of the best I’ve ever read! They reminded me of the romance in After Dark by Haruki Murakami, which had a very natural and realistic build up that it was believable! I adored the romance so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about the two characters even after finishing the book for a month 🥺 How this book manages to make me smile over the wholesome and sweet relationships in very little pages makes me LOVE this book even more. I love – LOVE this book to bits and highlyyyy recommend everyone pick this book up :’)
September 6, 2023
A depressingly mediocre collection of stories from one of my favorite writers. Out of the five stories, the only one I really liked was the first story, House of Ghosts, the rest were merely passable.
October 29, 2022
There seems to be nothing special in these quiet stories but they worked for me. They are gentle, beautiful and sort of comforting.
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