Banana Yoshimoto is the pen name of the author Mahoko Yoshimoto whose father is a famous poet in Japan. I picked up her collection of short stories titled ‘Dead-End Memories’ earlier this year because I was fascinated by the name and also because if I come across a collection of short stories by an author I haven’t read I will definitely pick it up. I had enjoyed the collection of stories about women, who after some painful event in their lives, find comfort in small moments of everyday life. 

I wanted to read more of her works which is why I picked up ‘Kitchen’ during a recent trip to the bookstore. I have been having a reading slump of sorts again and I thought this slim book would be just perfect to get over it. Kitchen comprises two classic tales about mothers, kitchens, love, and tragedy. It was published in 1987 and won two of Ja[an’s most prestigious literary prizes. 

‘The place I like the best in the world is the kitchen’ reads the first line of the book and I was hooked. Throughout the book, you return to the kitchen again and again. It’s almost like the kitchen is the main character. Mirage Sakurai, the protagonist of the slim novel, loves the kitchen. It’s where she finds comfort. But the story isn’t about kitchens or cooking. It’s basically about Mikage’s life, her grief and her sorrows and how she deals with them. 

Mikage lives with her grandmother. Her parents died when she was a young girl. When her grandmother passes away, she finds herself suddenly alone and unable to figure out the ways of the world. Yuichi, someone her grandmother knew, invites her for dinner and then to stay with his family until she finds her footing. There she meets Eriko, Yuichi’s father-turned-mother. The rest of the novel is a story of the three of them and what happens when their lives intertwine. 

Kitchen is a lovely story of finding comfort in unlikely places and the strength you draw from other people’s stories and lives. The writing is smooth and you can probably read the book in one sitting but you also want to take things slow and savor the story. The book deals heavily with loss, loneliness, and mourning but it’s also a hopeful story. You feel sad but you are waiting for the light to appear and things to change. It’s exactly how life feels like and reading the book makes you marvel at the fragility and beauty of life. 

The second story in the book, ‘Moonlight Shadow’ is a shorter read than the titular one. But it’s engaging and surreal. It tells the story of Satsuki, who lost her boyfriend in an accident. Her boyfriend’s brother Hiiragi also lost his girlfriend in the same accident. It’s once again a story about loss and grief, much like Kitchen but it focuses more on getting closure from a relationship before being able to move on in life. Even though it’s shorter than Kitchen, the characters are more fleshed out and the story felt more real despite the magical realism element to it. 

I enjoyed Yoshimoto’s short story collection but I would definitely recommend those reading her for the first time to start with Kitchen first as it’s simple yet thought-provoking. 

Kitchen

Banana Yoshimoto

Translated from the Japanese by Meghan Backus

Published: 1994

Publisher: Faber & Faber Limited

Pages: 150, paperback