Japanese Light Novel Book Club discussion

Banana Yoshimoto's novels have made her a sensation in Japan and all over the world, and Kitchen, the dazzling English-language debut that is still her best-loved book, is an enchantingly original and deeply affecting book about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. Mikage, the heroine of Kitchen, is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, she is taken in by her friend Yoichi and his mother (who was once his father), Eriko. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale that recalls early Marguerite Duras. Kitchen and its companion story, "Moonlight Shadow," are elegant tales whose seeming simplicity is the ruse of a writer whose voice echoes in the mind and the soul.

Discuss Kitchen (and its companion story Moonlight Shadow) here!

Reading Schedule
9/29-10/12: Kitchen
10/13-10/19: Moonlight Shadow

Three weeks. I think that's a record for shortest book in our group.

... I think I'm going to have to try this again when I'm in a different mood. The style of writing (and some odd seeming contradictions in the long, rambling descriptions) has me not feeling like continuing and I'm only on page 1. ^_^;

We'll see how things go whenever I try again, but initial impression is that this isn't going to be for me.

So we've reached the end of the "Kitchen" portion of the book. What did you all think?

I'll be honest I was going to read this as it was short but I just came off four books in a row that were duds and I just didn't have it in me to tackle a book that is very far removed from what I might normally read.

I just finished Kitchen "chapter" and that was interesting. I loved the characters especially Ericko, she's a riot. overall a little gloomy, but a good quick read. Now onto Moonlight shadow.

Finished Moonlight Shadow and wow, what a powerful story.

I love Banana Yoshimoto's books. I read Kitchen back when the translation first came out in 1994, and that was when I fell in love with the contemporary Japanese literary "voice".