Sweet Bean Paste
Durian Sukegawa$14.44
$16.99
"Sukegawa--enabled by Watts's lucid translation--tells an endearing, thoughtful tale about relationships and the everyday meaning of life. Readers in search of gently illuminating fare--e.g., Shion Miura's The Great Passage, Jeff Talarigo's The Pearl Diver--will appreciate this toothsome treat."
-- Library Journal
"Although Tokue's past is a reflection of a dark chapter of Japanese history, her wisdom, patience, and kindness shape this touching and occasionally wistful novel. Through Tokue's story, Sukegawa eloquently explores the seeds of biases and challenges us to truly listen to the natural world and the messages it artfully hides."
-- Booklist Sentaro has failed: he has a criminal record, drinks too much, and hasn't managed to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. Instead, he works in a confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with a sweet paste made of red beans. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days listlessly filling the pastries. Until one day an elderly, handicapped woman enters the shop. Tokue makes the best bean paste imaginable, and begins to teach Sentaro her art. But as their friendship flourishes, societal prejudices become impossible to escape, in this quietly devastating novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship.
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: ONEWorld Publications
Published: 11/14/2017
ISBN: 9781786071958
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.80d
Review Citations: Library Journal 09/15/2017
Booklist 10/01/2017 pg. 29
-- Library Journal
"Although Tokue's past is a reflection of a dark chapter of Japanese history, her wisdom, patience, and kindness shape this touching and occasionally wistful novel. Through Tokue's story, Sukegawa eloquently explores the seeds of biases and challenges us to truly listen to the natural world and the messages it artfully hides."
-- Booklist Sentaro has failed: he has a criminal record, drinks too much, and hasn't managed to fulfill his dream of becoming a writer. Instead, he works in a confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with a sweet paste made of red beans. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days listlessly filling the pastries. Until one day an elderly, handicapped woman enters the shop. Tokue makes the best bean paste imaginable, and begins to teach Sentaro her art. But as their friendship flourishes, societal prejudices become impossible to escape, in this quietly devastating novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship.
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: ONEWorld Publications
Published: 11/14/2017
ISBN: 9781786071958
Pages: 160
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.80d
Review Citations: Library Journal 09/15/2017
Booklist 10/01/2017 pg. 29