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How do you rate a bad book if the author herself apologizes for it? Would you be more considerate with your rating because of the apology? At least, you can say that she has that humility of accepting the fact that what she wrote a "trashy" book.

Honestly, for me, there is almost nothing new or nothing to like in this book. However on the very last page of my edition was an Afterword by the author and she sounded apologetic: "I give my deepest thanks to the one who translated this book, so random and disjointed, with such thoughtful care � Mr. Russell F. Wasden." Yoshimoto, for me, admitted the problem she recognized after reading what whe wrote: her random thoughts and disjointed plot.

Yoshimoto may have that astute sense of attention to details so she can take you to the scenes in the book like you are physically there. However, she described what was happening in too many details that for several instances, I lost track of what she was saying. It was a bit amusing at first but her characters were not ordinary people who I could relate to myself or to some people I've known or I've met. Most of her characters here have special powers � telepathic, clairvoyant, visionaries, etc. so relating was simply difficult. Then some of those without special powers behaved illogically or irrationally. For example, I know that Japanese are very disciplined people in terms of schooling or with their work ethics. However, the mother in the story does not give a damn whether her son absents himself from school or not. Her solution to her worries in life is just to go out and enjoy a night drinking with her boyfriend. I have not actually lived in Japan but from the business associates I had in my previous work, this behavior of the mother seems not common in their rigid and disciplined culture.

The story seems like an extended version of her first novel Kitchen, the novel that made her a household name not only in Japan but in most parts of the world. Around 100 pages is forgivable but extending a senseless fragmented plot by another 50 pages more is not funny anymore. Again in her Afterword, she said that after writing the book, she read it and realized how naïve she was that her face turned red. She added that she thought she might not ever write another book as lengthy as this one. I say, good for her! She explained that the theme of this book was simple and she just wanted to express the idea that, regardless of all the amazing events that happen to each of us, there will always be a never-ending cycle of daily life.

I say, fine. However, I’ve seen mediocre novelists using this scapegoat: to those who say that my novel has no plot, this I ask to them: “does life have a plot?� I think having a plot is essential to a novel. Even Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s masterpiece One Hundred Years of Solitude is about the never-ending cycle of life but it has a plot and it is a beautiful brilliant plot. Also, reading a novel is just a part of life. It is one of those things we do to enjoy life. It is not life itself. So, it has to have a plot.

On the other hand, I can see why other people would still love this book. It has the magical realism similar to the works of her contemporary, Haruki Murakami minus the references to sex. Also, this is more feminine for it is a chick lit. It touches more on relationships: mother to her son, sister to her younger brother, female bonding, young woman grieving for her dead father and more beautiful dead sister. Yoshimoto describes her scenes in details that if you have already been to Tokyo, you cannot help but reminisce those days you spent there: when you ate or drank at some bars, when you rode their bullet train, when your train passed by a nice-smelling bakery, etc. After all, if you’ve been to Japan, you want to go back, right? We all love Japan.

So even if I hated this book, I am still rating this with 2 stars. It is still okay.