Kitchen

<< Non credo che lui la ricordi come io ricordo Hitoshi. I
ragazzi non fanno apposta a farsi del male come noi. Ma
con tutto il suo corpo, i suoi occhi, diceva una cosa soltan-
to. Non che lo dicesse a parole. Assolutamente no. Però, se
l'avesse fatto le sue sarebbero state parole disperate. Terri-
bilmente disperate. Sarebbero state:
'Voglio che torni'.>>

The constent transphobia ruined the book for me.
Not only it was not necessary, but it was also not needed.

So dissapointing.

Buku yang otomatis masuk daftar buku favoritku setelah baca bukunya.

Orang bilang [b:Kitchen|58162885|Kitchen|Banana Yoshimoto|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622005278l/58162885._SX50_.jpg|1543818] ini ceritanya sederhana, dan aku setuju. Tapi, selain itu dua kisah yang ada di buku ini sama-sama heartwarming. Dua-duanya sama-sama menceritakan kehilangan, dan dua-duanya juga bisa bikin aku merasa hangat. Rasanya kayak aku dibantu buat melihat dari sudut pandang lain yang sangat indah, membantu aku buat terus berjalan dan enggak menyerah menghadapi keadaan meskipun enggak sesuai dengan harapan kita.

[a:Banana Yoshimoto|28229|Banana Yoshimoto|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1386368930p2/28229.jpg] sensei benar-benar mengemas bukunya ini dengan sangat indah. Rasanya enggak cukup buatku bilang buku ini indah cuma satu kali, karena buku ini memang seindah itu.

This book is one of those that when you finish it , it feels like you just discovered a new way of seeing things, it was kind of eye opening in a way. And I, for some reason, a felt a kind of warmth towards it and its characters. It had such a deceptively simple writing, also addicting , and honestly such bizarre stories but so powerful, about grief and the agonies of loss. I couldn’t put it down.

“As I grow older, much older, I will experience many things, and I will hit rock bottom again and again. Again and again I will suffer; again and again I will get back on my feet. I will not be defeated. I won't let my spirit be destroyed.”

Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen is a beautifully minimalist telling of subtle melancholy, of death and everything that comes after. Split into two novellas, its namesake Kitchen and Moonlight Shadow, this book dips into the realms of two young women as they reel from the death of loved ones and attempt to manoeuvre their way through dealing with loss and loneliness in the aftermath.

Of the two short stories, Kitchen is definitely my favourite. There was a connection I felt to the characters that just wasn’t present in Moonlight Shadow, and the prose itself was so much more emotive and well-developed. I really wish that I could have read more of Kitchen on its own because it was just so compelling and easy to read.

In contrast, even after just finishing Moonlight Shadow, I still remember more from its counterpart. The characters and their interactions fell a bit short for me, but that’s understandable considering its length. This doesn’t negate the beauty of the second story though, as it was beautiful in its own way, and explored the painful truth of closure and the importance of saying goodbye even when the opportunity to do so is ripped away from us. Though I’m not sure if I would necessarily want to read more of Moonlight Shadow if I had the option to choose.

There’s really no one way to deal with death. In juxtaposing these two short stories, it becomes evident that loss manifests itself in completely different and unexpected ways, so much so that there is a sombre kind of solace in its vast polarity.

Through Kitchen, Yoshimoto has extended a comforting hand to those plagued by grief and loss in a way that is without any insincerity. These stories could have easily been dipped in sugar and tinged with an urgency to just move on, but it wasn’t and I’m so glad. Kitchen is gently inspiring and understanding. Its melancholy is real, and it makes you feel seen in the most subtle way.

“Again and again I will suffer; again and again I will get back on my feet. I will not be defeated. I won't let my spirit be destroyed.”

Nevertheless, although this book was deeply comforting and wonderful, I’m not sure that I can give it a rating higher than 3 (specifically 3.5). I think that the rating would be higher if Kitchen was the sole story in this book as although I love the contrast between both stories, Moonlight Shadowwas just not as memorable or well-written. Even so, I'm grateful that I read this book because it's undoubtedly been a welcome embrace that has made dealing with grief and loss just that much easier.

“Over and over, we begin again.”