I was very happy to find this title Moshi Moshi from Banana Yoshimoto (translated into English in 2016), although the afterword suggests she has retired from writing. This follows the same themes as her other works - death, alienation, grief, dreams, loneliness, delicious food - but always with an optimistic look towards the future. A light and slightly surreal meditation on loss.
Yoshie and her mother have unanswered questions about the death of her father, a well known musician. He became involved with a woman, possibly related, who was searching for a man to commit love suicide with. She drugged her father and then killed him and herself in an Ibaraki forest. Yoshie moves to Shimokitazawa, a welcoming area of local shops where she feels she can be herself, and begins working in a bistro. Soon, her mother moves into her apartment, feeling lost in the family home. Over time, her mother finds herself again, and Yoshie falls in love - discovering a new future with the help of dream phone calls and visits from her father. "Moshi Moshi"
Written with her usual lyrical and thoughtful style, the two women deal with their grief as life moves on. Working in a cafe, there are lots of coffees and izakaya dates with her boyfriend, delicious fruit drinks and lunches with her Mom. Enjoying food always plays a big part in Yoshimoto's stories. The neighbourhood is also featured, highlighting the loss of small local businesses, the network of community. There is a melancholy feel to the novel, it takes time to heal. For me this doesn't reach the level of her timeless novel Kitchen, but it's a solid read in a quiet way, like thinking over old memories.
"Each day I walked this town, every step my feet inscribed, I was also building my inner landscape. They'd keep growing, in tandem, and a hint of my presence would linger even after I was gone... I was experiencing that form of love for the first time.... Couldn't we start over here, with Dad, all three of us?"
2010 (translated 2016) / Hardcover / 190 pages
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