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Kitchen

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About this listen

With the publication of Kitchen, the dazzling English-language debut that is still her best-loved book, the literary world realized that Yoshimoto was a young writer of enduring talent whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of contemporary Japanese literature. Kitchen is an enchantingly original book that juxtaposes two tales 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, is an orphan raised by her grandmother, who has passed away. Grieving, Mikage is taken in by her friend, Yoichi, and his mother (who is really his cross-dressing father), Eriko. As the three of them form an improvised family that soon weathers its own tragic losses, Yoshimoto spins a lovely, evocative tale with the kitchen and the comforts of home at its heart.

In a whimsical style that recalls the early Marguerite Duras, Kitchen and its companion story, Moonlight Shadow, are elegant tales whose seeming simplicity is the ruse of a very special writer whose voice echoes in the mind and the soul.

©1988 Banana Yoshimoto. English translation Fukutake Publishing Co., Ltd., through the Japan Foreign-Rights Centre. Translation 1993 by Megan Backus. (P)2015 Audible Inc. Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Fiction Heartfelt
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This audiobook is actually 2 in 1. As the title said, I loved the first book, and I dropped the second. While I appreciate a certain measure of surrealism, I do not like second hand embarrassment at all, which I got a good dose of reading book 2. Which is a shame, because up until that point I was rooting for the main character.

So whether I liked it or not, the author definitely dragged me into their story.

Loved the first book, dropped the second

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I personally liked it, there are moments that resonate with me, though there are also handful that plot-wise could do better. Fairly easy to get into, and I think Zeller did a good job narrating it. I'd recommend it if you'd like to get into contemporary Japanese literature

A story about loss and healing through another

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