Fri, 29 Feb 2008
Banana Yoshimoto, Amrita
Banana Yoshimoto, Amrita, Faber and Faber
We first came across Banana Yoshimoto (great name!) in one of
Foyle's shops in London and this book came, a few weeks later, from
a second hand shop in Berlin. It was first published in English in
1997.
If you're familiar with a strand of Japanese writing that started
in the mists of the past and progresses to now through such as
Akutagawa and Murikami, you'll know about the rich worlds that
include large doses of spirituality and the bizarre. Yoshimoto is more
than just a "now" version of this however. For one thing, she has a
delightfully positive take on the lives of her characters rather
than the "shit happens" darkness that is commonplace in the works of
the other two mentioned. Perhaps Banana's femininity is a factor here
- we don't know.
This book traces the life of a young woman and her family, as her
sister kills herself, she loses her memory and regains it, and her
younger step-brother is found to have special powers. There is quite
a lot of interior examination which proceeds like a trickle of clear
water trying to find its resting place ... the adjective "lovely"
springs to mind, and, if you're lucky, perhaps her memories will
evoke something within yourself that speaks of sun, a warm breeze,
and special friendships.
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pre Dec 04 reviews are here