Kitchen; When I Was Five I Killed Myself

It's supposed to be summer but it's raining all the time. The seasons lie in this country.



3. Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto
Whenever I read Japanese literature I have the feeling that I'm missing out on something. It's like the English is a mist - behind it I can glimpse something else, but it's never quite clear what it is. I tried learning Japanese but I got confused at the katakana and gave up. All I remember how to say is 'this is a pen'. Kore wa enpitsu desu. Actually, that might be wrong. Don't go to Japan and say that, you may get ridiculed.
Sadly I can only judge by the translation, but I have judged nonetheless - Banana Yoshimoto is an amazing writer. This book had two stories in it, 'Kitchen' and 'Moonlight Shadow'. They are both about death and loneliness, of which she obviously has a very good understanding, and they are both beautifully written. She writes as if the story is a fragile thing to be handled with great care. She is one of those writers who you think, she seems like such a nice person. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe she's a psycho bitch. But when you read this, you think, these words are so lovely and sad, she must be lovely and sad too.



4. When I Was Five I Killed Myself - Howard Buten
This is written in the words of an 8-year-old boy who has been sent to some sort of child rehabilitation centre for doing something bad to a girl in his class. Writing from a kid's perspective is not easy. Not for an adult, anyway. It's probably very easy for a child. Most of the time when I read books like that I think they're a bit rubbish and 'kids just wouldn't say that' and stuff, but this is excellent, he captures his voice and his writing style perfectly. It seems very genuine, as well as being sad and funny and a bit shocking, but not just for the sake of it. I really cared about the little boy, which is probably why I finished it so quickly. This was written in 1981. I think it was a bit ahead of its time.

So far I am pleased with my birthday books.