Dead-End Memories
Stories
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4.5 • 8 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times Notable Book
"This is a supremely hopeful book, one that feels important because it shows that happiness, while not always easy, is still a subject worthy of art." —Brandon Taylor, The New York Times Book Review
Japan’s internationally celebrated master storyteller returns with five stories of women on their way to healing that vividly portrays the blissful moments and everyday sorrows that surround us in everyday life
First published in Japan in 2003 and never before published in the United States, Dead-End Memories collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery.
Among the women we meet in Dead-End Memories is one betrayed by her fiancé who finds a perfect refuge in an apartment above her uncle’s bar while seeking the real meaning of happiness. In “House of Ghosts,” the daughter of a yoshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven’t yet realized that they’ve been dead for years. In “Tomo-chan’s Happiness,” an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance.
Yoshimoto’s gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with, and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect. Discover this collection of what Yoshimoto herself calls the “most precious work of my writing career.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yoshimoto's resonant collection centers on women struggling through challenging events. Though the characters in each of the five stories have been struck by bad luck and duplicity, they are intrinsically good-natured and are also greatly influenced by the generational traditions of their forebears, as evidenced in the heartwarming opener, "House of Ghosts," in which the college-student daughter of restaurant owners observes a pair of ghosts in a classmate's apartment, thus setting the mood for the young couple's unexpected and lifelong romance. After the book editor in "Mama!" consumes poisoned curry in the publishing company's cafeteria, the ordeal is followed by an emotionally disturbing revelation. Yoshimoto's characters share a staunch, unfailing allegiance to the idea of love, and they work toward closure amid heartbreak, as in the title story in which a betrayal recalibrates a young girl's understanding of contentment. Similarly, in "Tomo-chan's Happiness," a sexual assault victim discovers hope, catharsis, and new love after years of internal torment. Yoshimoto embellishes these gorgeously written entries with sensual descriptions of food and sex, and makes them memorable by showing how the women set themselves free from misfortune via friendship and resilience. This is a gem.
Customer Reviews
Profoundly simple
Banana Yoshimoto has a way of capturing the devastatingly simple beauty of both sadness and joy in the human experience, reminding me that you need one to know the other.