Pretense reviewed Hardboiled and Hard Luck by Banana Yoshimoto
Review of 'Hardboiled and Hard Luck' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This was my first read by Banana Yoshimoto, and it was a great introduction reading two short stories during a sort-of reading slump. Both stories share common themes of grief, close relationships, the ambiguous morality of certain actions, and fascinating storytelling. Overall, I liked the first story better than the second, just because it felt more cohesive in its atmosphere and message. The second story was kind of all over the place in comparison. The first story also intrigued me with its narrator more than the second, whose narrator was fine but nothing remarkable.
The themes are quite strong here—there is stark discussion of grief, death, and losing loved ones. I don’t think I can really relate to the narrators, but Yoshimoto is skilled in making the reader feel compassion for their struggles regardless. There is also discussion in both stories about memories and the role they play in our …
This was my first read by Banana Yoshimoto, and it was a great introduction reading two short stories during a sort-of reading slump. Both stories share common themes of grief, close relationships, the ambiguous morality of certain actions, and fascinating storytelling. Overall, I liked the first story better than the second, just because it felt more cohesive in its atmosphere and message. The second story was kind of all over the place in comparison. The first story also intrigued me with its narrator more than the second, whose narrator was fine but nothing remarkable.
The themes are quite strong here—there is stark discussion of grief, death, and losing loved ones. I don’t think I can really relate to the narrators, but Yoshimoto is skilled in making the reader feel compassion for their struggles regardless. There is also discussion in both stories about memories and the role they play in our grief, as well as how memories can shape our ideas of loved ones. It did make me reflect on the role memory plays in my own relationships, for good or bad.
At times, the translation did feel a bit stilted and somewhat barebones. I could hear echoes of what the original must sound like compared to the much more clunky English. But such is the peril of reading in translation. For the most part though, it does the trick. The narrative style was quite enjoyable in spite of that; light and sometimes punchy, it was refreshing, which is perhaps more incredible given the subject matter. The stories can be somewhat ethereal, intemporal; and they are most definitely reflective and poignant.
I was much more compelled by the first story, so I will split my rating down the middle for the book overall. It makes me more excited to check out Kitchen and other works by Yoshimoto.
