3.5 stars! Lizard is an emotional, reflective collection of six short stories that offers depictions of time, healing, fate, and the existential awakening of hope.

I really enjoy the gentle nature of Yoshimoto’s writing, as it often makes for an easygoing, contemplative reading experience, and this book was just that exactly.

There’s a very comforting spiritual quality to these stories and each is beautiful and valuable in its own right.

Newly Wed ★★
Not the most memorable of the bunch, but I really liked the reflective atmosphere and mood that it created. Lonely people on lonely late night trains always make for an introspective experience.

Lizard ★★★★
Such a beautiful story. The flashback of the main character meeting and falling in love with Lizard was touching and lighthearted, making the mystery surrounding and revelation of her secret even more fascinating. The pairing of Yoshimoto’s pleasant prose and the trauma that these characters endured made for a truly moving piece of work.

Helix ★★★
I really liked the premise of this, the debate on what exactly demarcates a memory as important—necessary. Though, unlike some of the other stories, the prose in this was not as impactful, and it did not linger in my mind as much.

Dreaming of Kimchee ★★★
Yoshimoto captures an unexpected snapshot of infidelity, using the perspective of the other woman to examine the guilt and fear that comes with the territory. I liked that this was not a lesson on the morality of infidelity or a revenge piece—rather a simple contemplation of reflections and emotions.

Blood and Water ★★★
Following a young woman as she abandons the village of the cult in which she grew up in, this short story is light and hopeful. Again, I loved that Yoshimoto strayed away from the conventional mold of an escape story and instead poured everything into highlighting themes of love, hope and new beginnings in that gentle manner that always pervades her prose.

A Strange Tale From Down By the River ★★★★
Definitely my favourite story in the collection. I didn’t expect this to go the way it did based on how it began, and I love the way not only the characters but the tone and plot morphed into something somber and pensive as it progressed.

Picked this up on a desire to read more non-American literature. From the first two or three stories, I wasn't immediately sold on Yoshimoto's writing - I don't think I completely "understood" the speed, sometimes the lack of plot, the vague and confusing feelings of the characters. However, the longer I sat in the existentialist, moody, bleak yet immensely hopeful stories, the more I started to appreciate and really enjoy her style. These stories go fast and often center around a character who is anxious about the precariousness of life yet finding hope in the mundane - a steady lover, the calm of a river, sunlight hitting the room at a particular time. There are larger concepts discussed like faith and desire and family; however, she masterfully encapsulates these conversations into the ordinary, so much so that you don't really even realize what has happened until it's over. The last 2 stories were my favorite. I hope to read more Yoshimoto!