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Book cover of Kitchen
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Coup de coeur
Coup de coeur (Fiction), by Lily
When first published in 1987, Kitchen, a compilation of two novellas, earned Banana Yoshimoto a spot in the ranks of Japans most acclaimed authors. Her writing is lyrical, honest and unconventional. The first novella follows Mikage Sakurai as she is grieving the loss of her grandmother, her last close relative. In this touching story about communion, friendship and chosen family, Yoshimoto effortlessly weaves in food as an indispensable source of comfort and connection. Warning: you will want to make ramen after reading this, so have the ingredients on hand. The second novella also centres the grief of Satsuki, who has recently lost her boyfriend. This is a story which is distinct from the first. It explores different sides of grief by being on the one hand grounding, raw, achingly honest, and on the other hand spiritual, mystifying and enigmatic.

Kitchen juxtaposes two tales about mothers, transsexuality, bereavement, kitchens, love and tragedy in contemporary Japan. It is a startlingly original first work by Japan's brightest young literary star and is now a cult film.

When Kitchen was first published in Japan in 1987 it won two of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, climbed its way to the top of the bestseller lists, then remained there for over a year and sold millions of copies. Banana Yoshimoto was hailed as a young writer of great talent and great passion whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of modern literature, and has been described as 'the voice of young Japan' by the Independent on Sunday.

Translated by Megan Backus
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Binding: Paperback
Publication date: 01 Mar 2018
Dimensions: 199 x 131 x 10 mm
ISBN: 9780571342723