Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

2.5/5

[Spoilers ahead]
.
.

The book has the elements that I felt in previous Banana Yoshimoto books as well - dreamy, but dealing with grief, grief of things and places lost, and... underwhelming. The build up of the book was nice, the premonitions trying to lead you to somewhere. But I could not look past the moral aspect of the two relations in the book. I appreciated the parents instead, both sets. And the idea of taking a journey to find things, to clear heads. The characters in their own standing too perhaps. But the relations, I am not really sure. Maybe because it comes from 1988.

The book is the story of Yayoi, 19 years old living with a perfect family who has had several premonitions all her life that sets her quite apart from the rest of them. Yet she feels like she is forgetting something so she packs her bag and moves in with her aunt Yukino because she gets the feeling that this is what is necessary to uncover her memories.

Frankly, the build up here was really good, but I wish it were more about Yukino and Yayoi and Yayoi and her adoptive family instead of Testuo and Yayoi whom she addressed as her dear brother half the book, or even the high school kid waltzing in halfway through the book. On that note, in explorations of the relationships and events, the book felt like a lost opportunity.

But Yoshimoto sensei's writing is poignant and that can be felt in the book. Maybe Asa Yoneda did a better job at translation than Megan Backus in Kitchen.