Lizard

Having read Goodbye Tsugumi and Kitchen, two novels by Banana Yoshimoto, I was determined to read another book by this author. Lizard is a collection of short fiction by Banana Yoshimoto, translated from the Japanese by Ann Sherif. Published in 1993, Lizard took the author about two years to write. She dedicates it to the memory of the late Kurt Cobain from Nirvana. I picked up this book a few months ago but didn't read much beyond the first short story. LuAnn's Spring into Short Stories reading challenge gave me the incentive to finally sit down and finish it.





Very briefly, this is what each story is about:

1. Newlywed is about a newly wed man who is riding on a subway train late at night after drinking a large quantity of whiskey at a bar.
2. Lizard is about a young couple who reveal secrets from the past that influence the present.
3. Helix is also about a young couple who go to a café after hours to talk.
4. Dreaming of Kimchee is about marriage and connection.
5. Blood and Water is about a young woman who leaves her home in the country to live in Tokyo.
6. A Strange Tale from Down by the River is the story of how the past--and the river--affect the lives of a couple planning to get married.

Set in Japan, these stories embrace many themes, such as healing, religion, spirituality, love, sex, and the passage of time. In some stories, the author narrates from a male point of view, and in others from a female point of view; these first person protagonists are young and modern, introspective, and engaging. On the verge of adulthood, they leave home for the first time, and discover freedom and responsibility. They struggle to find meaning in life and are tinged by ambivalence and sadness, although relief comes through moments of connection with others, noticing a vivid blue sky, or savoring a delectable treat.

"When I looked out from that window each morning at the river, I saw the water glistening, like a million sheets of crushed gold leaf, flowing by. The light within me was something gorgeous like that. I wondered if that was what people in the old days used to call hope."
~A Strange Tale from Down by the River, Banana Yoshimoto

I still call it hope. This collection left me feeling calm and somewhat renewed. I enjoy Banana Yoshimoto's sharp, sparing prose, the offbeat events and surprises in her fiction, and her clear depiction of the joy of simple pleasures and little things--which really aren't so little.

Thank you, LuAnn, for hosting this reading challenge.

Goodbye Tsugumi

Confession time. I have an ugly secret. A few months ago, I read a post on a book blog and I made a stupid comment. I suggested that perhaps the most notable thing about Banana Yoshimoto was her name. Almost immediately, I regretted posting this comment, and because I couldn't delete it, soon posted another comment, saying that I'd been unfair, having never read her work. Time passed. I still felt bad about my foolish remark (and still do). I've since read some glowing reviews of Banana Yoshimoto's work. The moment I signed up for Bellezza's third Japanese Literature Challenge, I knew I had to read a novel by Banana Yoshimoto. This challenge compelled me to finally get one of her books and read it.























Goodbye Tsugumiwas published in 1998 in Japan, and translated into English by Michael Emmerich in 2002. Banana Yoshimoto is actually the pen name for Mahoko Yoshimoto, the author of several novels popular in Japan and many other countries.
This short novel tells the story of two cousins, Maria, 19 years old, and Tsugumi, 18 years old, who are very different from each other. Maria is kind and compassionate, whereas Tsugumi is often unpleasant to others, downright mean and nasty. She's described by Maria in the first few pages of the book:

"She was malicious, she was rude, she had a foul mouth, she was selfish, she was horribly spoiled, and to top it all off she was brilliantly sneaky. The obnoxious smirk that always appeared on her face after she'd said the one thing that everyone presently didn't want to hear--and said it at the most exquisitely wrong time, using the most unmistakably clear language and speaking in the ugliest, most disagreeable tone--made her seem exactly like the devil."
~Goodbye Tsugumi, Banana Yoshimoto

Tsugumi is, in a word, obnoxious. She's also been frail and sickly since birth, prone to fevers, and not expected to live a long life. The narrator of the story, Maria, has spent her childhood at the seaside Yamamoto Inn (which is owned by Tsugumi's family), with her mother and Tsugumi's family, and feels most at home here with them by the ocean. When Maria moves to Tokyo with her parents she longs for the ocean, and Tsugumi invites her to spend one last summer at the inn, which will be closed down in the spring. It is during this particular summer that Maria and Tsugumi grow closer. Maria not only puts up with her cousin's behavior, she actually loves her deeply. I, too, began to care about Tsugumi, in spite of her difficult personality. Although in poor health, Tsugumi shows considerable strength, as well as spirit and spunk, and is lively companion to her cousin.

The fleeting nature of time, specifically of the summer, is an important theme in the book, bringing to mind the season's ephemeral sandcastles, and Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine, which I've read, and Farewell Summer, which I'll read closer to the summer's end. Yoshimoto captures many sparkling moments, made even more poignant by the shadow of death which hovers near Tsugumi.

"I wanted to hold on to the particular feeling of languor that I got as I walked the streets of this town, the town of my past, which I would lose when summer ended."
~Goodbye Tsugumi, Banana Yoshimoto

I felt the same way about this book: I did not want it to end. Yoshimoto's writing is sharp, clear, concise, striking. I wanted to hold onto this book longer, to savor it; I'm sure I'll reread it. I'll definitely read more books by this author!

In 1990, Goodbye Tsugumi was made into a movie, directed by Jun Ichikawa. I'd like to see it if it's available here.

For another review of Goodbye Tsugumi, please visit The Reading Life.