Sweet Bean Paste

by Durian Sukegawa, Alison Watts (Translator), Cindy Kay (Narrator)

A charming tale of friendship, love, and loneliness in contemporary Japan Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste. But everything is about to change. Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue's dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences. Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa's beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.

Genres: Fiction, Japan, Contemporary, Japanese Literature, Literary Fiction, Asian Literature, Asia

6 pages, Audio CD

First published February 6, 2013

About the author

Durian Sukegawa studied oriental philosophy at Waseda University, before going on to work as a reporter in Berlin and Cambodia in the early 1990s. He has written a number of books and essays, TV programmes and films. He lives in Tokyo.

Source: Oneworld Publications

Reviews

[Pakinam Mahmoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

هل يوجد سحر ما في الأدب الياباني أم حبي لموراكامي جعلني أحب كل ما يُكتَب هناك؟ 😍
بصراحة مش عارفة:)
بس الرواية هنا فكرتني شوية بكتب موراكامي الهادية زي جنوب الحدود غرب الشمس وشوية من الغابة النرويجية...

ملذات طوكيو ..رواية يمكن ميكونش فيها أحداث كتير ولا أشخاص كتير بس فيها رقة ومشاعر إنسانية جميلة جداً ...
عن الوحدة ..عن العزلة التي تُفرض علينا نتيجة ظروف معينة ..عن حياتنا ومعناها ..عن محاولة إكتشاف نفسك وايه اللي إنت تقدر تعمله..
كل دة موجود داخل صفحات هذه الرواية و لكن ممزوج برائحة عجينة الفاصوليا الحلوة التي كانت تُطبخ علي نار هادئة في
الكتاب ولكن حتماً ستشم رائحتها وأنت تقرأ..:)

رواية جميلة ..شهية ..حزينة لكن ممتعة جداً..
وشكلي كدة لازم أروح اليابان..حلاقي نفسي هناك ،أنا عارفة:)

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘We are born in order to see and listen to the world.’

Social stigmas are an oppressive force, particularly in societies when one’s value is often determined by the profitability of one’s labor for others. In Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, an unlikely friendship between an formerly incarcerated confectionary shop worker, the 78 year old woman he hires and a troubled teen girl becomes an emotional investigation into stigmas around identity and health and demonstrates that the only thing shameful about them are the stigmas themselves. Short and with a simple but direct prose, wonderfully translated by Alison Watts, Sweet Bean Paste is a story as sweet as the title would imply, making for an idyllic little read. While fairly simple itself, it is still effectively affecting and spirals through moments both heart-warming and heart-wrenching as the characters face the trials and tribulations of life with grace and remind us all to be open to love and acceptance. Durian Sukegawa delivers a lovely book that tackles a difficult piece of Japanese history surrounding the treatment of people with leprosy that becomes a moving statement not just about accepting and understanding one another and history, but also about embracing and including.

‘That's why I made confectionery. I made sweet things for all those who lived with the sadness of loss. And that's how I was able to live out my life.’

This was a charming little novella and made for a nice final read for 2022, so thank you to Nenia for recommending it (read her wonderful review here). It is indeed rather sweet as confectionery but manages to never seem overly saccharine even as it delivers big sweeping messages on interconnectedness and people being our footholds to know we are part of a big, beautiful cosmic existence. It helps because much of this comes from Tokue, an elderly woman who’s hands have become gnarled due to Hansen’s disease, is so endearing a character. As is Sentaro, the ex-con turned pancake maker who is reluctant to hire her fearing she will be too old and slow for the labor but changes his mind after tasting her sweet bean paste.

‘Are you telling me to fire someone who’s not sick, just because she was in the past?’

Unfortunately for Tokue, there is a large stigma around leprosy. In Japan, those with leprosy were isolated from society, unable to work or interact, until the ban was lifted in 1996. Though she is no longer legally required to be removed from society, public perceptions are still harsh. ‘The world hasn’t changed. It’s just as cruel as it always was,’ Sukegawa writes. Even Sentaro first hides her in the kitchen, afraid the sight of her hands will drive away customers, and he is later told by the absentee-owner of the shop to fire her. When word gets out, the shop loses business because of stigmas around people with leprosy, even though Tokue is asymptomatic.

Sentaro is no stranger to the cruelty of public opinion either. He is a classic ‘troubled’ character, having done prison time, is burdoned by debts, has mother issues and is troubled by alcoholism. The book examines how we internalize failure, with Sentaro viewing himself as built to fail when many of his foiled attempts to better himself are unbalanced against him by systemic stigmas against his character.

‘He did not know when or why his fall had begun, but he sensed the seeds of it had always been in him, ever since he was small. It was nothing sudden. It was not failure to try and live an honest life – the result of leading an honest life was the wreckage of his days now. In short, Sentaro suffered because he was who he was.’

This probes the idea that so much of our self-worth is constructed from the distorted mirror image society reflects back at us. As Jean-Paul Sartre wrote ‘People who live in society have learned how to see themselves in mirrors as they appear to their friends.’ Like with Tokue, the negative perception of them from society can seep in and make a person feel they are just born bad. We don’t learn much about Sentaro, only just enough to get a general idea from what he tells people, but this is one of the more brilliant parts of the novel. By keeping Sentaro fully in the present, we examine—and inevitably judge—him based on the person presented in the now. His past is just a shadow we only catch in our peripheries. This is a nice effect, and a good way to focus the story on accepting people for who they are, not for their health struggles or past.

‘The only way to get over barriers, she said, is to live in the spirit of already being over them.’

Tokue, on the other hand, is representative of a deeper societal problem of ableism paired with a work-culture that values people by their labor roles. Before the lifting of the ban, people with leprosy had very little avenues for much of a life, and her attempt to find labor here is beyond even a means of living as, to her, making bean paste for people to enjoy is a life affirming activity. Giving love and care to others, making something beautiful even if ephemeral. Which is another conversation altogether about how meaningful work and profitable work are not necessarily synonymous (I’m typing this while at work at the library…).

‘I believed that a life has no value if a person is not a useful member of society. I was convinced that humans are born in order to be of service to the world and to others.’

Tokue speaks often of connection and uplifting others, but the stigma of her health blocks her from being able to be of service. Which shouldn’t make her any less of a person in the public eye but her lack of employment is looked down on. I struggle with this perspective on people in the world as someone is far more than their job description and “hard work” isn’t the only meaningful way to be. When I worked a year as a manager for Goodwill (who’s slogan "Changing Lives Through the Power of Work" painted on the wall at work was uncomfortably adjacent to the phrase Arbeit macht frei [“hard work will set you free”] which was carved on the gates to Auschwitz) it was frustrating that we would allow job training for formerly incarcerated individuals but were not allowed to hire anyone with any sort of criminal background. We can help you but you can’t be financially able to survive with us because of your past mistakes is the message that seemed to send, and that always bothered me (that never went over well at meetings with corporate though). So that was all in the back of my mind reading this book.

‘People’s lives never stay the same colour forever. There are times when the colour of life changes completely.’

Overall, this is a very hopeful book with a lot of pleasant things to say about interconnection and valuing people for who they are. It is a good reminder that people can turn their lives around and that we can help give the space for that to happen. Its also a good reminder to appreciate what we have and see the beauty already present in a world, even if it can be quite ugly and we have to look for the beauty some days.

‘I pay attention to the language of things in this world that don’t use words…It’s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, it could be the sunshine or the wind.’

This book can tip towards overly sweet at times, but it pulls it off nonetheless and will warm your heart. It is also an interesting look at issues of ableism both historical and lingering and how social stigmas become an oppressive force. Sweet Bean Paste is a cute book and now I really want to try some dorayaki.

4/5

‘All experience adds up to a life lived as only you could. I feel sure the day will come when you can say: this is my life.’

[Nikola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Przepiękna historia. Bardzo lubię takie niepozorne książki, troszkę o niczym, a jednak o wszystkim

[Cindy Pham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short and sweet; a quick read with the type of sentimentality, calm, and wholesomeness you'd expect from a Japanese drama, but it didn't grab me the way the author intended. I think it's interesting that the author wants to reject the notion that your value is measured by how useful you are to society, and redefine your life's purpose based on your own individual circumstances instead. This is a message I’d normally resonate with, but I think the fact that he funneled all of that through a tragic elderly woman character who exists to serve the troubled main character’s narrative is too on-the-nose for me that it borders on saccharine.

[Liong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like these meaningful words in Tokue’s letter to Sentaro.

If I were not here, this full moon would not be here. Neither would the trees. Or the wind. If my view of the world disappears, then everything that I see disappears too. It’s as simple as that.

This is a lovely and simple story to read.

Enjoyed reading it. 😍

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Priceless! Moving!

If I had ‘the power’.....I’d call “Sweet Bean Paste” a classic Japanese novel.

The blurb says PLENTY....in telling what this book is ‘about’ for readers. ITS THE EXPERIENCE THAT WILL STAY WITH YOU .......A MUST READ! Too good to skip!

Special friendships...sweet confections...( the best sweet bean paste is infused with love)...

Author Durian Sukegawa had a friend many years ago whose child died of Hansen’s disease at age 2. He also learned about a former Hansen‘s patients, who, by law, had been shut up in sanatoriums and isolated from society for decades, long after being cured. When that unjust legislation was repealed in 1996 their story became widely known to the public.
This creative touching Japanese story was inspired by the many people whose lives were too short, and struggled for too long.

I ordered this small ‘beauty-of-a-paperbook’, online. Pink & Baby blue book cover...with lovely Japanese art.

This book for all ages — would make a nice gift. It’s a story that will never age!

Durian Sukegawa teaches us “that no existence is devoid of meaning, and that even the humblest of beings has a valuable contribution to make to the world in which we live”.

Beautiful characters & beautiful simple prose.

[Emily (Books with Emily Fox on Youtube) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book made me feel like the Grinch

[Carolyn Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is heartfelt and heartbreaking. Sukegawa’s writing is subtle and profound. This is one of those books that never really leaves you after you turn the last page.

[Mischenko · Rating 5 out of 5]

See the full review and how I made dorayaki @ https://readrantrockandroll.com/2017/...

The story begins with Sentaro, a man who was previously in jail and is now working in a little confectionary shop to pay off some debt. He makes a Japanese sweet called ‘dorayaki’ every day but puts no heart into it at all. He works in a depressed part of town and feels quite depressed himself. He doesn’t have much appreciation for life while spending most evenings drowning his sorrows with alcohol. He’s always wanted to be a writer, but just doesn’t know what his purpose in life is at this point.

One day, he puts an ad out for a helper. A little old lady named Tokue comes to visit Sentaro and begins to chat about his red bean paste. She wants the job, but Sentaro is hesitant to hire her because there are differences in Tokue’s appearance which make her different than other people. Her fingers are disfigured, but after Sentaro tastes some of her sweet bean paste, he begins to question in his mind how he can hire her without offending customers because her sweet, rich bean paste is like nothing he’s ever tasted, and he has to learn how to make it. As time moves on, Tokue becomes part of the shop and enjoys meeting with some of the customers, until a rumor starts and people become afraid of something they don’t truly understand.

I loved the characters and cherished Tokue’s wisdom. Besides teaching Sentaro how to make the best bean paste, she helps him on his journey of self-discovery and teaches him how to truly listen and to be patient.

“We were born in order to see and listen to the world.”

Reading about Tokue’s harrowing past was difficult, yet the unlikely friendships formed between this small group of people is heartwarming. Each of them has something to give one another and as they connect, Sentaro finally begins to see the light from Tokue’s teachings.

After reading the book, I sat for awhile and reflected on Tokue’s suggestions to Sentaro and found the book very educational because of it–from her messages about listening and seeing to also learning about Hansen’s disease in Japanese history. I absolutely adored reading this wonderful book and appreciated the author’s note at the end which explains the author’s experience with Hansen’s disease and the inspiration for this story. This is a book anyone can enjoy and I highly recommend it. My rating is 5*****

I'd like to thank Edelweiss, the publisher, and the author for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the books I have read by Japanese authors seem to contain little emotion in their writing. It is the situations themselves that evoke feeling in the reader as the story is told in a very matter of fact fashion. We are introduced to a young man named Sentaro, he has spent time in prison, feels like he is a failure in life. He runs a Dorayaki shop, selling these confections filled with sweet bean paste. He goes from home to work and back again. This is his life, and he is lonely. He advertises for a helper, not that he needs one, but because he wants someone with whom he can talk. An old woman, named Tokue, in her seventies with gnarled hands asks for the job. After much persuading, he agrees to try, and this relationship will change his life.

A beautiful book that takes the reader from a shop selling confection to a sanitarium for lepers. These two stories combine, these two lonely people, and a teenager named Wakena will take from each other, but also give much back. The prejudice of the people toward lepers even though the disease had been cured for years. The lives of those who lived in the sanitarium, many since they were young, taken from their families is ably described.

The true meaning of life, much more fulfilling than that of just being of service or the usual measures that we base a successful life on is wonderfully told. In the end lessons will be taught and learned, a friendship between two will show one a different way to live. Three generations will form a life affirming friendship for each. A short book but one that illustrates an important point. How do we live our lives? Do we open our eyes to see, hear what is going on around us? Do we fully experience and learn all we can?

ARC from Edelweiss.

[Sherif Metwaly · Rating 4 out of 5]

أعشق تلك الروايات التي تعزف لحنًا حزينًا هادئًا طوال قراءتها، حتى إذا اقتربت النهاية تكتشف أن مصدر هذا اللحن صار أوتار قلبك التي ترتعش حزنًا وألمًا، تسأل نفسك عن مصدر كل هذا الاضطراب الذي حدث بداخلك؟ من أين أتت تلك الدموع الدافئة؟.

كانت البداية هادئة، وسط رائحة مخبز الفطائر الشهية بدأت الرحلة، امرأة غريبة يسوقها القدر لتدخل حياة صانع الفطائر غير السعيد بحياته ومهنته، يرفضها في البداية بسبب ضعفها وعجزها، ثم يكتشف فيها.. هي السيدة العجوز صاحبة التاريخ المرضي من الإصابة بالجذام.. يكتشف فيها معنى الونس، وتكتشف هي فيه معنى الأمومة والصداقة، وفي الخلفية طرف ثالث ينسى في وجودهما معنى الوحدة

تتولد خلال الرحلة علاقات صداقة بطعم الكفاح، الكفاح ضد أحزان القلب وأوجاع الروح، ضد قسوة الواقع وسخرية القدر، ضد الذكريات الأليمة ومخاوف المستقبل، بحثًا عن سبب لوجودنا، عن أثرٍ نتركه خلفنا، وعن قلبٍ يعيننا على تحمل مشقة الطريق بين البداية والنهاية.

وسط كل هذا نستمتع بروائح الفطائر، وشغف السيدة العجوز، نتعلق بزهور شجرة الكرز، ونتمنى أن نتذوّق حشوة الفاصوليا العجيبة، نسير وسط جمال الطبيعة وأنغام الكناري، مُحلقين وسط الجمال معظم الوقت، حتى يصدمنا الألم قرب النهاية، ليكون الدرس الأكبر من هذه الرحلة هو تذكيرنا بأن الحياة بالفعل سلسة من الآلام، وما نحن إلا في اختبار، ولكي تنجو بأقل الخسائر عليك بالصبر والإيمان أولًا، ثم ابحث عن شغفك، فبه ستكتشف ملذات طوكيو، التي هي صورة مصغرة من ملذات الحياة، وبها يمكنك أن تخرج من هذه الحياة راضيًا، شاعرًا بأنك تركت أثرًا، وتركت ذكرى خالدة في قلب أحدهم، فماذا تتمنى أكثر من ذلك؟

تمت.

[Candi · Rating 4 out of 5]

“He did not know when or why his fall had begun, but he sensed the seeds of it had always been in him, ever since he was small. It was nothing sudden. It was not failure to try and live an honest life – the result of leading an honest life was the wreckage of his days now. In short, Sentaro suffered because he was who he was.”

Sentaro is just getting by, trudging through each day of work, going home to an empty apartment each night. A secret from his past keeps him right where he is, feeling unfulfilled day in and day out. He does his job well enough, but doesn’t take any special pride in preparing the dorayaki – the sweet bean paste-filled pancakes that are sold at the Doraharu shop on Cherry Blossom Street. He doesn’t even take any particular notice of the cherry trees lining the roadside. Then one day, a disabled elderly woman enters the shop, inquiring about a job. Sentaro reluctantly takes on Tokue Yoshii, mainly so he can learn how to make her sweet bean paste, which is far superior to the ready-made paste he uses in order to save time.

“Bean paste is all about feeling, young man… The aroma seemed to leap up at him, as if it were alive, racing through his nose to the back of his head. Unlike the ready-made paste, this was the smell of fresh, living beans. It had depth. It had life.”

This is a story that digs much deeper than just the preparation and enjoyment of food, however. Yes, food does have a way of bringing people together, of course. A teenager named Wakana begins to frequent the shop after school. A bond of friendship between the three develops and is nourished by their interactions, the sharing of certain aspects of their lives. Sentaro, however, continually worries about what the customers will think and say if they get a glimpse of Tokue’s gnarled hands, her paralyzed face. After all, social discrimination is still alive and thriving. And Tokue has her own secret that is slowly revealed as friendship leads to trust.

“The world hasn’t changed. It’s just as cruel as it always was.”

I’m not going to reveal more about this short little story. The writing is straightforward yet dignified. The ache of disappointment and loneliness is so palpable throughout. Despite its brevity, it packs a precisely aimed punch. It leaves the reader questioning what truly signifies a meaningful life. Is it a grand contribution to society? Is it checking off all the boxes on your list of what you want to accomplish? If you don’t leave a noticeable mark behind, has your life been a failed endeavor? Or is there something more, perhaps? Is it in the way in which you simply live your life; the ways in which you take notice of things? Do you take the time to listen to others, learn from them, forge and nurture those relationships which are important to you? Despite the cliché “stop and smell the roses” (or in this case, perhaps, “stop and look at the lovely cherry trees”!) which popped up in my head from time to time, I thought it sent a beautiful message. There’s a lot of food for thought for anyone that has struggled with the essence of life’s true meaning.

“… everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind.”

[PorshaJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 4.5 but still thinking about it.
.
A wonderful heartwarming and heartbreaking story wrapped into the cutest little book. A small book with baby blue and pink on the cover is just charming. And it has all that charm on the inside too. I read this one slowly as I wanted to savor every minute of it. Perhaps that's how people felt eating the dorayaki with sweet bean paste in this one (it's a pancake).

Such a small story with such a big punch. You learn of three people who come together in the most extraordinary ways and each helps the others. Sentaro is man just going through the motions of life. He spent time in jail and a man helps him out on his release. Sentaro goes to work for this man to pay off his debt to him. He works in his dorayaki shop. But Sentaro puts no heart into anything he does. One day he meets, and eventually hires, Tokue. She is an elderly woman, who has been affected by leprosy (not known to him initially) but makes the most sinfully tasting sweet bean paste. The two form an unlikely friendship while Tokue teaches Sentaro how to make sweet bean paste, and teaches him so much more. Wakana, a young girl, enters the story and their lives become entwined together. Tokue's story is so heartbreaking and I came to tears a few times reading this one. She teaches Sentaro that all life has meaning, even if the thinks his does not. The horror of her life is slowly revealed and it seems after so many years, people still have much prejudice around those with leprosy.

Oh this one made me happy, made me sad, and made me hungry. There was talk of the beautiful cherry trees that blossom and are adored by those in Japan. Reading this one made me think back to the times I went to Japan. I loved walking around, seeing all the beauty it had, seeing the blossoms, and one day while wondering I came upon a festival. There were people mobbing a small stand and they looked so happy with their food item they purchased. I figured, it must be good, so I got in line with the mobs of people, got my item and OMG was it the most glorious sweet I have ever had. I can't exactly say what it was, but recall it had bean paste in the center. I'm a big foodie so many of my memories of places revolve around food. I only wish I had gone back for another.

This book has been adapted into a movie and I plan to sit around the fire tomorrow and watch this movie and enjoy this wonderful story all over again. A truly special book about friendship, life, and perhaps, a look into why we are here in this world.

**Update** The movie is just as wonderful as the book. It's pretty close to the book but there are a few changes they made for the movie. If you read the book, you simply must watch the movie too!

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️

“All experience adds up to a life lived as only you could. I feel sure the day will come when you can say: this is my life.”

Sentaro Tsujii, once an aspiring writer, now works in the Doraharu shop making and selling dorayaki, a Japanese sweet made with pancakes and sweet bean paste. This is not his chosen vocation and his working in the shop is a means of paying off his previous debts to his employer. Having previously served a two-year prison sentence, he is also aware that his checkered past limits his options in terms of employment opportunities. He is not content with his life and listlessly passes his days. One day he meets seventy-six-year-old Tokue Yoshii, a Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) survivor who has lived in a leper’s community, ostracized from mainstream society since she was diagnosed at the age of fourteen. Though she is now cured and after the Leprosy Prevention Act had been repealed in 1996, is allowed to mix freely, her illness has partially disfigured her face and affected her fingers. She convinces him to let her work alongside him, making sweet bean paste with care and precision – a sweet bean paste that elevates the reputation of the shop and has customers lining up for more. Among the customers is school girl Wakana, who befriends Tokue and Sentaro. However, Tokue’s medical history becomes an issue that affects business and eventually results in her quitting. However, their unlikely friendship continues and they continue to meet , correspond and positively impact each other’s lives.

“It’s my belief that everything in this world has its own language. We have the ability to open up our ears and minds to anything and everything. That could be someone walking down the street, or it could be the sunshine or the wind.”

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa is a bittersweet, heartwarming and deeply moving story. The prose is simple yet beautiful. The vivid imagery of the sights and sounds of the busy streets, the cherry blossoms and the bustling shops and food make you feel as if you are walking with the characters as they bare their souls to one another. The author also sheds a light on the stigma and prejudice faced by people like Tokue, deprived of the life they desire. After living in a closed-off colony for decades, she now has nowhere to go even though she is free to travel. There is so much she wants to do with her life but she has been unable to. But does that render her life meaningless? What does it mean to lead a meaningful life? In a world that measures success with tangible yardsticks and visible “contribution” to society, Tokue’s wisdom as she shares with Sentaro and Wakana is in acknowledging that life lived on the fringes can also be a life worth living as long as your heart and soul are willing to experience all that world has to offer as she has strived to do despite all she has been through. As she shares her story, she teaches Sentaro that even though her life hasn't given her what she wanted, rather than brood over her past disappointments it is important to appreciate whatever she did have and how being mindful of the world around you may instigate positive change in your life and even in how you feel about yourself.

“I began to understand that we were born in order to see and listen to the world. And that’s all this world wants of us. It doesn’t matter that I was never a teacher or a member of the workforce, my life had meaning.”

This is a beautiful story, meant to be read, reread and shared with friends. This short novel is a beautiful reminder to pause, reflect and truly experience the world around us and in the process be kinder to each other and to ourselves.

Excerpt from the Author's Note:
“ Over the aeons the universe has nurtured life forms whose very awareness makes them involved in its continued existence. Hence we are all alike in having materialized on this Earth because that was what the universe so desired. The ill, the bed-ridden, and children whose lives are over before they’ve barely begun; all are equal in their relationship to the universe. Anyone is capable of making a positive contribution to the world through simple observation, irrespective of circumstance.”

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun fact about me is that I'm the worst.

I am anti-smile, anti-joy, anti-positivity. The end part of the nightly news where they try to tell a nice story rarely gets more than a "wow late-stage capitalism is depressing" from me. I never watch animal videos on the internet and in fact hate movies about animals whether they talk or not. I cannot watch children's content because it's too sweet.

And stories like this one don't really work for me.

I go back and forth on Fredrik Backman's work for the same reason. Kindness? Happiness? Stories where the result is that everyone's great and life is great and we should all be nicer to each other?

They're not for me.

I like stories with endings like that, but only sometimes. I'm too much of a pessimist to be predisposed to believe it. I need to be convinced.

This did not really convince me.

Bottom line: If you're not a gremlin, read this! Fellow grinches, stay away.

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pre-review

i would recommend this book to fans of Fredrik Backman.

i do not know how i feel about Fredrik Backman.

review to come / 2.5 stars

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tbr review

who doesn't like an unlikely friendship?! dogs and cats. baby animals and other baby animals. the man who works at a pancake shop and the old lady who makes sweet bean paste in this book. they're all winners.

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taking lily's idea and reading only books by asian authors this month!

book 1: the incendiaries
book 2: last night at the telegraph club
book 3: dear girls
book 4: sigh, gone
book 5: frankly in love
book 6: emergency contact
book 7: your house will pay
book 8: convenience store woman
book 9: on earth we're briefly gorgeous
book 10: we are not free
book 11: searching for sylvie lee
book 12: the displaced
book 13: schoolgirl
book 14: sweet bean paste

[Fatma Al Zahraa Yehia · Rating 3 out of 5]

ثلاث نجوم ونصف

بعد حياة مأساوية تخرج العجوز "توكي" إلى العالم بإصرار أن تحيا وتنتزع من الحياة أقصى ما يُمكنها الحصول عليه. روح عظيمة تتقاطع مع روح الشاب اليائس "سينتارو" وتستطع أن تجعله يرى في الحياة مالم يستطع رؤيته من قبل.

كثيراً ما يعبر حياتنا أشخاصاً خارقين مثل "توكي" العجوز الجميلة بطلة تلك القصة. الأشخاص الذين كانت الحياة معهم أكرم بمُرها عن حلواها، ولكننا لا نرى منهم سوى الابتسامة الراضية الجميلة وعيونا تمتلىء حباً وقلباً كله عطاءاً لمن يحتاجه.

كيف لا يخرج الطعام لذيذا ورائعا من يد امراة بمثل هذا القلب العظيم والروح الجميلة؟ الأمر لا يتعلق بمقادير ومعايير وخطوات رصينة يجب اتباعها بدقة، ولكن هى "البركة" التي يمنحها الله لأصحاب تلك القلوب الجميلة والتي تجعل طعامهم البسيط أجمل من طعام أفخم المطاعم.

تذكرت جدتي رحمها الله وكيف كنت أراها في ايامها الاخيرة تخلط الطعام وتطهوه بشكل عشوائي بحكم السن والمرض. وكنت اتوقع نتيجة كارثية لهذا الطعام، ولكن على العكس، كان يخرج جميلا لذيذا دافئا. وهذا هو السحر الذي يمنحه الله لتلك النساء الطبيات.

قست الحياة على "توكي" بغير رحمة. يتألم قلب من يقرأ تلك القصة حزناً على ما رأته ومرت به. قد نسخط على القدر وظلمه، ولكن يخرسنا ظلم البشر الذي لا حدود له. تأخذ الحياة من "توكي" كل شىء ولكنها تُصر على منح "سينتارو" القليل الذي تبقى لديها.

أشفقت كثيرا على "سينتارو" وتألمت من وحدته القاسية وحياة يحياها بدون كثير من الأمل بعد ما خرج من السجن. ولكن شخصيته لم تُكتب بحرارة أو باهتمام كاف. كانت شخصيته تحتاج إلى نوع من الحيوية في كتابتها لكي تتوحد معه كما توحدنا مع "توكي". كان صوته وكأنه يأتي من بعيد وكأنه مجرد شاهد على الحكاية وليس جزءا منها.

وبصفة عامة كان الحوار باردا أو غير مترابط، ولا أعرف هل هذا هو اسلوب الكاتب أم هى مشكلة في الترجمة

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I try to live a blameless life, but am crushed at times by people's lack of understanding."

This book is such a heartwarming, good read for a rainy day like today!

I am not a good cook nor do I fuss a lot about food but reading this book makes me feel like I could feel the taste of the confectionery the story talks about from the very beginning of the book till towards the end of the book.
This book will remain as one of the most memorable reads for me.
The writing style is simple yet captivating. But it seems to waver a bit towards the second half. A few pages were like they were repeated from some other story. However, the writing picked up real fast and the book does reward me with a good ending. It gives me the warm, nostalgic feeling of having known someone and finally saying them our goodbyes.

I think I have never read a book that talks so much about confectionery items or cooking a perfect recipe. I really loved the first half of the book so much. It's much better than the second half. The irony! I got so attached to the characters in the first half but as the book went on to the second half I didn't feel much about the characters or didn't feel anything about whatever sad events that were being retold regarding the lives of the narrator, Sentaro or the other main character, Toku.

A few other side characters played important roles but I feel like it diverted my emotions for the main characters rather than making me feel more attached towards them. I feel like these characters were rather unnecessarily introduced in the story.

The main theme that built this story is based on disability and discrimination about a particular disease which of the main characters has suffered for most part of their lives. It's pretty well done I would say.

Trigger warning:
There are a few parts that talk about suicidal thoughts and self-harm.

This book is a sweet, short read.
There are some amazing quotable lines about life and dreams.
A well-written character driven story of the lives of an old woman, a young man who's been behind bars struggling to keep his shop running and a schoolgirl who's looking up to these characters.

The weird part is that I didn't cry where I was supposed to cry.
And out of nowhere I cried when the book was just about to end.


(My thoughts are here and there. I cannot seem to collect them at all.)

[zuza_zaksiazkowane · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Vivian Diaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐️ This was a sweet and heartwarming story of friendship and loneliness. It was really beautiful but a bit sad at times. Tokue had me all in my feels. She was too precious. My heart ached for what she went through with Leprosy since she was just a child 😔.

I also liked how Sentaro was hesitant to hire Tokue because he thought she was too old for the job, but then they bonded and their friendship was so sweet.

This was just really wholesome and I enjoyed it! I even teared up a bit.

I’m in the mood to eat dorayaki now 😭

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful warm heartfelt story of an unconventional friendship. A book that teaches us the lessons in patience and listening really listening, to people but also nature around us and the importance of not making assumptions from first impressions. How the act of friendship can transform and change someone's viewpoint of life. How food can be used as a balm to soothe our souls and bring people from opposite ends of life together. How cooking can have healing qualities that can mend sorrow and help to reach out to others.

I adored the simplicity of this story, the writing had a mesmerising quality and I loved the Japanese setting which gave this book a wondrous quality. I found this book such a sweet treat and a surprising delight, it really got my tastebuds tingling!

Thank you Netgalley and Oneworld Publications for my early review copy.

[Celeste Corrêa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um livro sobre o sentido da vida tendo como pano de fundo os antigos doentes da doença de Hansen (vulgo lepra) que, por lei, ficaram fechados em sanatórios e isolados da sociedade japonesa durante décadas, muito depois de estarem curados. Quando aquela injusta legislação foi revogada em 1996, a sua história tornou-se muito conhecida.
O autor não é um profissional de saúde mas acredito que a descrição da doença esteja clinicamente correcta.

Há uma personagem notável neste livro, Tokue Yoshii,leprosa curada mas com deformidades visíveis, a conselheira de Sentarô, pasteleiro, que saldou a sua culpa numa prisão mas sente-se frustado com a sua profissão. O título «Doce Tóquio» representa a combinação de dois elementos essenciais da história: a doçura da pasta de feijão vermelho, que é o ingrediente principal das panquecas dorayaki, e a cidade das cerejeiras, Tóquio, onde a trama se desenrola. Essa combinação simboliza a busca por conexões humanas e que todos nascemos para ver e escutar o mundo.

Que o mundo não é um lugar fácil todos sabemos; é cruel e resistente à mudança - é mais fácil controlar emoções do que sentimentos e preconceitos enraizados. Quem nunca esteve numa encruzilhada? Num trabalho sem perspectivas, uma vida sem sentido e a necessitar de uma Tokue que nos ensine a recomeçar? Que nos diga «Bom trabalho, estiveste bem», «Conseguiste»?

Em certo sentido, sinto-me aquele pasteleiro que queria ser poeta mas também tenho a sorte de encontrar muitas Tokue anónimas que, sem eu pedir, me aconselham a Escutar, que todas as experiências significam uma vida que apenas pode ser vivida por mim até ao momento que eu possa sentir orgulho por ser a pessoa que sou.

Sim, a vida tem sentido se dermos uma nova forma à nossa visão do mundo. Saltar grades, recomeçar, as cerejeiras sempre desabrocham....

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Reasons To Read This Book! Full review found on my blog.

Reason #1: It's So Heartwarming

This is everything you might have wanted for an evening when you're feeling a little sad. It's written in a really nice, easy to read and cheerful tone. Ultimately, the main characters inspire you, no matter who they are – the old lady who had to deal with life-long isolation or the deadbeat who starts making it back to life. They are all relatable and you end up loving them.

Reason #2: Important Topics
One of the primary reasons this book was written was to shed some light on the situation of Hansen's disease patients in Japan (formerly known as leprosy.) And it's a pretty sad situation, to be honest. I don't really know how this disease was handled in the rest of the world, but this is the second book on Hansen's in Japan that I've read, and I'm surprised that this even happened in the 20th century. The patients were treated horribly, separated from their whole families and not allowed any freedom even decades after they were completely cured. The isolation law was only repealed in 1995. This is when most of you were already born! People might have still been jailed over being ill while you were a child. Can you imagine that? There remains a certain stigma about this disease still, and I believe this book helps shed some light on all of this.

Reason #3: So Much Love For Cake!

Gosh, this book and cake... It talks about all sorts of cake! One of the main characters has been making confectionery for over 50 years, so she has a lot of stuff to say about it. Japanese, French and other delicacies are always being mentioned. Truly mouthwatering.

Reason #4: Character Growth

I loved Sentaro's character growth. It's really inspiring to see a selfish prick turn into a person who actually cares what becomes of an abandoned elderly lady. It's also a coming of age story for Sentaro – and I believe many of us can relate to having a dead end job, not knowing where to go or what to do with our lives – a lot of us have been in those situations.

Reason #5: It's A Quick Adorable Read

This is not a literary monster that will weigh your shoulders down. I read it in an evening or two. It's the perfect read to go with cocoa on a windy November night!

I thank the publisher for giving me an early copy of the book in exchange to my honest review.

Read Post On My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter

[Odai Al-Saeed · Rating 3 out of 5]

أمر مذهل أن تستطيع صناعة عمل فني أدبي باهر بأدوات بسيطة ...فبقدر ما هي بسيطة الفكرة تجد أن السياق والسرد فيه إبداع وإتقان بعيد المدى....قصة بائع شطائر متواضع يلتقي هذه المرأة السبعينية التي تقلب حياته رأساً على عقب...نص فيه من اللذة والمرارة والحزن والفرح والإيثار ما يجعل منه قيمة متفردة ومتواكبة أيضاً مع روح البناء الفكري الجديد للرواية بدون أي ترهلات في بنيته المتماسكة...رواية يابانية عظيمة بإمتياز

[Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My heart hurts 😭

CW: discrimination against people with disabilities, suicidal ideation, death of a loved one, depictions of anxiety and depression

[JimZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a solid 3 stars. In the middle to the end it dragged a bit. Still, it is something I would definitely recommend. Before reading it, I did not know anything about the disease of leprosy. One of the two major protagonists of this short novel (213 pages, softcover), Tokue, lived in a former leper colony. Actually, it was a leper colony until 1996 when the Leprosy Protection Act was repealed in Japan. Before that, leprosy patients in Japan were forcibly isolated in sanatoriums, despite growing awareness that the disease was treatable and not very contagious: the disfigurement the disease could cause contributed to the prolonged policy of quarantine, even for the cured.

The other protagonist (actually the main one) was Sentaro, a middle-aged man in Tokyo who worked at a shop that made and sold dorayakis — a dessert with red bean filling between two slices of sweet fluffy pancakes. He reluctantly hired Tokue, a woman in her seventies, to work in the shop he managed...he was reluctant because he noted her disfigured fingers and her face which looked paralyzed and he didn’t want to scare the customers away. He hired her because she made the most exquisite sweet bean paste for the dorayakis…something initially he did not prepare well at all. She really increased business at the shop for some time. But then business all of a sudden dwindled. At the time he did not know that she had had a form of leprosy when she was an adolescent but was now cured. Did somebody else know and ratted on her? Is that why a number of customers no longer frequently his shop?

The last two-thirds of the book, although to my mind dragging a bit, was overall interesting (am I speaking out of both sides of my mouth?) in that it introduced the question of “What is a life worth living?” Is a child who is born with deformities and dies at age two…was his/her life a waste of humanity? A person who lives their life and makes no significant contribution to society…how about him/her? The author of this book talks about this through conversations between Sentaro and Tokue, and later when Tokue no long works at the shop, in letters to Sentaro from Tokue, and from Sentaro’s visits to the former sanatorium where he meets a friend of Tokue’s, Miss Moriyama.

The following passages from the book give a taste of Tokue’s philosophy on life — a life which definitely dealt her a cruel hand (she was sequestered at age 14 in a sanatorium with the knowledge at that time that she was locked in forever in a leper colony). I have it hidden because if you are thinking you might want to read this book, I think it is nice to go into it with a tabula rasa of sorts.

I can’t tell you how many times I wish I were dead. Deep down, I believed that a life has no value if a person is not a useful member of society. I was convinced that humans are born to be of service to the world and to others.

But there a time when that changed, because I changed.

I remember it clearly. It was a night of the full moon, and I was walking alone in the woods. By then I had already begun listening to the whispers of trees, and to the voices of insects and birds. On this night, the moon cast its pale, brilliant light on everything around me, and energy seemed to radiate from trees swaying in the wind. While I was alone in that path in the woods, I came face-to-face with the moon. And oh, what a wonderful moon it was! I was enchanted. It made me forget everything I had suffered because of the illness, about being shut up in here and never getting out.
Then next thing, I thought I heard a voice that sounded very much like the moon whispering to me. It said:
• I wanted you to see me.
• That’s why I shine like this.

From then on, I began to see everything differently. If I were not here, this full moon would not be here. Neither would the trees. Or the wind. If my view of the world disappears, then everything that I see disappears. It’s as simple as that.

And then I thought. What if this didn’t just apply to me. What if there were no other human beings in this world? What about all the different forms of life that have the ability to be aware of the presence of others — what would happen if none of them existed either?

The answer is that this world in all its infinity would disappear.

You might think I am deluded, but this idea changed me. I began to understand that we were born in order to see and listen to the world. And that’s all this world wants of us. It doesn’t matter that I was never a teacher or a member of the workforce, my life had meaning.

Notes:
• In the novel adzuki beans were used to make the red bean paste (along with sugar). I saw these beans on a Whole Foods website. My curiosity is piqued…I have never eaten them in my life but after reading this novel, I would like to. 😊
• This book was published by Oneworld Publications. Oneworld publishes Samanta Schweblin's works including Fever Dream. If you haven't read that. might I recommend it? Oneworld publishes translated works from all over...I think I will sample their fiction in 2021.

Reviews:
• https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
• https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/...
• http://www.paperbackparis.com/sweet-b...
• https://ideasonpapyrus.wordpress.com/... (from a blogsite)

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In case you haven't noticed, I've been reading only Japanese and Korean short literature all this weekend, and so far this has by far been my favourite. I went in not knowing anything about the story, but came away quietly weeping. It was beautifully touching and heart warming.

Sentaro spends his days making doriyaki as the only employee of a confectionery shop. He dislikes sweet treats however, and has no passion for the craft, or in life in general. As a former convict he feels trapped at the shop, with no future and no prospects. He feels useless. Until one day, an old woman called Tokue walks in asking for a job. What follows is an exploration into the prejudices of society, and a blossoming gentle friendship between Sentaro and Tokue.

Sentaro is not a relatively likeable character at the start of this, so I find it all the more remarkable that a story that is a little over 160 pages could develop and execute a character arc that feels very genuine and realistic. Through his friendship with Tokue we witness Sentaro learn that he does have a place in the world and can contribute to society. Tokue, in her forced exile, demonstrates that even through forced adversity you can still be productive and a positive representation to society. She's a very well fleshed out character and the fact that her story is grounded in reality - Japanese leporasy sufferers were put into forced isolation in sanatoriums until 1996, made this all the more awful to read about.

Fantastic read that shines a light on societal prejudice that still occurs today, with characters that are easy to fall in love with. This is as sweet as the Anko Tokue makes.

[Ailsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

All experience adds up to a life lived as only you could.

Sweat Bean Paste is: cute, simple, whimsical, and above all, very sweet.
Sweat Bean Paste is not: poignant, poetic, or sensual (excluding taste).

I think the quirky elderly person mysteriously entering your life and bringing enlightenment trope is a bit done right now. Call me cynical, but when is the movie being made? Suspiciously cinematic. (Never mind me Banana Durian, you make that money).

Too much exposition. The letters sent between the two main characters were an obvious crutch.
Unconvincing dialogue and secondary characters.
Clumsy symbolism. Setting free a caged bird? groundbreaking.

Extra star for the cooking parts and the weird bit of recent Japanese history that the plot revolves around. I love bizarre non-kosher Japanese culture trivia.

Sweat Bean Paste is a fast read and it's cute, so I'm not mad (that current 4.1 ave GR rating though). However, calling it a classic is an insult to Japanese literature.

Sudden desperate need for a homemade sweet bean dessert or to become a confectioner by trade. Or both.

EDIT: Called it! "Sweet Bean" released 2015 and directed by Naomi Kawase.

[John Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely, but sad story. Sentaro is working off a debt by working in a dorayaki shop, but he is a very unhappy man with a criminal record who drinks too much. When Tokue, an elderly woman with a troubled past, approaches him offering to make much better sweet bean paste than what he is selling, a friendship develops.

And that's about it, things happen from there on, our characters learn from each other, Japan's sad past (and present) with prejudice regarding Hansen's Disease. Wonderfully presented with the reader having no idea where the story is going, but it goes.

I loved this sad and simple tale.

[spillingthematcha · Rating 5 out of 5]

To było tak piękne..

[Teresa Sanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Nacimos con el propósito de ver y escuchar” “todas las experiencias aportan algo a una vida que solo tú puedes vivir”

Qué viaje de emociones con este libro. Sencillo, maravilloso y con un propósito precioso. Qué feliz me hace haberlo leído a principio de año (mi primer libro de 2026, de hecho) porque siento que me va a acompañar e inspirar mucho.

Si te sientes perdido, disconforme con tu vida o con quien quizá eres ahora… este es tu libro (y aunque no te sientas así, también, te va a inspirar muchísimo). Ojalá hubiese llegado esta lectura a mí hace dos años cuando me sentía tan perdida.

Me he enamorado de los personajes, de la historia y de los dorayaki (una pena ser alérgica a las judías). Me siento abrumada ahora con todas las emociones que tengo tras haberlo terminado y ojalá ser capaz de explayarme más jajaja pero también ojalá mis palabras os convenzan para que lo leáis.

P.D: una de las mejores decisiones que puedes tomar es vivir rodeado de alguna persona mayor. Se aprende tantísimo de ellos, qué suerte tengo de tener a mi yaya a mi lado e ir a clases de punto donde la media de edad de las alumnas es de 65 años. 🤍