Hardboiled & Hard Luck by Banana Yoshimoto

Yoshimoto changed Japanese literature with her sensitive portrayal of youthful characters in International bestsellers like Kitchen and Goodbye Tsugumi. Her fans will enjoy these two novellas dealing with grief and letting go.

Hardboiled: A young woman walks through a green forest towards a small town inn. At a mysterious shrine, she finds a ring of round black stones and feels a presence. It is the anniversary of her lover's death, and she is reminded Chizuru insisted she could actually see spirits. They broke up on a mountain road like this. As she walks, she finds round stones where she goes. At the inn, she is awakened by another guest who is locked out of her room by her boyfriend. It is an odd night with air darker and heavier than usual, and she recalls her relationship with Chizuru.

Hard Luck: A girl deals with grief after her sister falls comatose. Kani's fiancé broke off the engagement when this happened, but his brother Sakai remains a visitor to her bedside. It has been a month, her family dealing with ending the life of a loved one who has already left them. She collects Kuni's belongings and becomes close to Sakai, who shares the challenge of letting go.

Both stories have a dreamlike quality of personal, yet universal, grief. Yoshimoto's writing is spare and direct, and fans of Murakami should look into her work.

1999 (translated 2005) / Hardcover / 160 pages

My other reviews for Banana Yoshimoto:

The Lake

Moshi Moshi

Kitchen