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Asleep

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 2,924 ratings · 169 reviews

The New York Daily News has called Asleep "enchanting, surreal . . . Yoshimoto brings readers to another powerful, atmospheric place". Demonstrating again the artful simplicity and depth of her vision, Banana Yoshimoto reestablishes her place as a writer of international stature in a book that may be her most delightful since Kitchen.In Asleep, Yoshimoto spins the stories...more

Paperback, 177 pages

Published 2001 by Gardners Books (first published 1989)

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Sep 02, 2010 Susanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 24, 2007 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: japanese-authors

I don't really know what to say about Asleep. It was my first Banana Yoshimoto book and while I didn't dislike it, I didn't necesarily find anything in particular to like about it.

It was weird in that way that Japanese literature is usually weird, and usually I'm okay with that. Asleep consists of three short stories (or maybe novellas?) and none of them really have any ending to them. Normally, I'm okay with the ambiguous ending that Japanese authors like so much, but having three stories back...more

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Feb 22, 2013 Kater Cheek rated it 3 of 5 stars

A friend handed me this, not telling me what to expect, and it turned out to be a very literary novel. It's not really a novel, per se. but three long short stories or short novellas all on the theme of sleeping.

The first short story is about a woman worried about her cousin, Mari. Mari had a tempestuous affair with the narrator's brother, and she has a tendency to wander around at night in the cold and snow. The second story is about a woman who keeps hearing a song as she starts to fall asleep...more A friend handed me this, not telling me what to expect, and it turned out to be a very literary novel. It's not really a novel, per se. but three long short stories or short novellas all on the theme of sleeping.

The first short story is about a woman worried about her cousin, Mari. Mari had a tempestuous affair with the narrator's brother, and she has a tendency to wander around at night in the cold and snow. The second story is about a woman who keeps hearing a song as she starts to fall asleep. She talks to a friend who says that it means someone recently dead is trying to contact her. The third is a story about a woman with narcolepsy, who is dating a married man whose wife is in a coma.

The writing is very interesting. Yoshimoto looks at people and their relationships to one another very delicately, like a scientist meticulously recording things down to the millimeter. And she comes at things at a slightly different angle, since she's Japanese. For example, Mari's parents in the first story are opposed to her relationship with her cousin not because of consanguinity, but because they don't think he's good enough for her. And, perhaps because of the translation, they have curious speech patterns that reminded me of conversational exercises in my Japanese language textbooks, but not like any speech I've heard between native speakers of English.

I think if you liked literary fiction, this would be a good selection. The themes are broad enough that you could find plenty of discussion fodder here with like minded individuals. There are supernatural elements here, but these elements don't really exist outside the story. In these stories, someone can hear the weight of a phone ringing and know who is calling. In these stories, someone can tell who is on the other line by the weight of the silence, can tell from smell that someone touched the son of someone she loved. They see visions and have meaningful dreams. They have mysterious connections to other people. It's deep and meaningful and will probably make you feel smarter for having read it.

My main complaint with this is the same as my complaint with most literary fiction in that there's really not much plot, and almost zero conflict. Things happen, and they reference other things that are meaningful, but you don't see any action on screen. You deal with people getting used to how their relationships have changed now that x has died, but x doesn't die in the story. In fact, all three stories deal with dead people who died long before the story happened. These are stories that whisper respectfully in a large, beautiful room. It's okay once in a while, but since I view fiction as entertainment, I'd rather have action and excitement and motion.(less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Malcolm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-contemporary

Much of Yoshimoto’s work is characterised by pathos, sadness, emptiness and yearning in the sense that many of her characters seem to be missing something or someone, searching or somehow slightly incomplete. She continues this theme-among-the-young in these three novellas (according to the marketing blurb) or long short stories (I remain unclear exactly what a novella might be) about young women – all, it seems, in their early- to mid-20s – dealing with loss and sacrifice over which they have l...more Much of Yoshimoto’s work is characterised by pathos, sadness, emptiness and yearning in the sense that many of her characters seem to be missing something or someone, searching or somehow slightly incomplete. She continues this theme-among-the-young in these three novellas (according to the marketing blurb) or long short stories (I remain unclear exactly what a novella might be) about young women – all, it seems, in their early- to mid-20s – dealing with loss and sacrifice over which they have little control.

In the first, cousins Shibami and Mari are still, after a year, dealing with Yoshihiro’s (brother and lover respectively) death, the fall out from his romance with Boston-based Sarah, Mari’s parents’ opposition to the romance and ways to fill a void. In the second, Fumi’s dreams lead her to the conclusion that she needs to contact a former rival-in-love, who turns out to be dead, and that she had stronger feelings for the rival than she did for the lover. Finally, in ‘Asleep’, Terako (who sleeps) struggles with her romance with the married Mr Iwanaga and loss of former flatmate Shiori. In each case, the dead – Yoshihiro, Haru & Shiori (and to an extent the comatose Mrs Iwanaga) – exert a demanding pull over the narrators (Shibami, Fumi & Terako) that prevents them from fully functioning – these are, after all, about pathos and absence, but in each case the absence is managed.

‘Asleep’ is a little more complex that the other two tales, ‘Night and Night’s Travellers’ and ‘Love Songs’, in part because Terako is less socially located than Shibami or Fumi and in part because Terako feels the absence of two women – Shiori & Mrs Iwanaga – but in each case the stories are typified by a gentle, subtle, understated aesthetic and a sadness that takes us into reflections on the transitory aspects of life, living and social and domestic relations. This is not to say that the stories are pessimistic or even nihilistic; in each there is an optimism not of recovery – these women are not ill – but of rearranging life and its relations to find a new order while also being aware that it is, in itself, fleeting, unstable but of the now.

It is this last aspect of the stories, the seeming awareness of the instability of order, that puts Yoshimoto’s in the tradition of the seemingly post-youth fiction tradition of Salinger and Coupland but that makes it more ethically challenging and engaging than Coupland’s tendencies to nihilistic resolution; Yoshimoto’s endings are open and her characters in these stories remain ready to be destabilised. The writing is beautiful (all praise here to Michael Emmerich as translator) and sparse, and we are left feeling good about the future; Time Out called is gorgeous, the reviewer there is right. This is rewarding (and to an extent reassuring fiction); a rare combination of pathos and optimism. Each time I read Yoshimoto, I wonder why it has been so long since I last picked up one of her books. Highly recommended.(less)

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Sep 05, 2012 Matt Stalbaum rated it 3 of 5 stars

With a synopsis that promises fantastical elements of plot, it's best not to come into this book expecting Murakami levels of surrealism. This "novel" could better be described as 3 thematically-connected novellas, as none of their plots intersect, and their only connections are the shared meditations on death, loss, and sleep.

Banana Yoshimoto's writing is great though, simple but expressive. No use of complex metaphors here, but she knows how to maintain a slow-burn in describing the sad lives...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The three stories feature protagonists who are somehow asleep, or rather "stuck" in time, their past preventing them from fully enjoying the present. In all cases, someone dear to them is deceased and through different means, they manage to come at peace with it. Yoshimoto really has a talent for creating believable characters using simple little details.

For example, in the first story, the main character hesitates to tell her boyfriend about the death of her best friend; even though this had ha...more

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Jan 11, 2010 Melody added it

Asleep contains three stories of young women who are somehow bewitched into a spiritual sleep. Night and Night's Travelers is the first story where it features the connection between Shibami (the narrator) and her cousin Mari after the death of Shibami's brother, Yoshihiro. Mari has developed feelings for Yoshihiro before and ever since his death, she goes into a withdrawal stage where she sleepwalk. It is also at this time that Shibami began to discover a secret of Yoshihiro's previous relation...more Asleep contains three stories of young women who are somehow bewitched into a spiritual sleep. Night and Night's Travelers is the first story where it features the connection between Shibami (the narrator) and her cousin Mari after the death of Shibami's brother, Yoshihiro. Mari has developed feelings for Yoshihiro before and ever since his death, she goes into a withdrawal stage where she sleepwalk. It is also at this time that Shibami began to discover a secret of Yoshihiro's previous relationship with an American girl.

The second story, Love Songs, is about a young woman named Fumi who often hears a soothing voice singing every time before she goes to sleep. Initially she dismiss it as the result of a broken heart and drinking, but yet again the more she thinks of it the more she thinks of Haru, a dead woman who also had a relationship with her ex-lover at the same time when she was with him. Haru and Fumi were never in good terms with each other; it is natural since they were both having a relationship with the same man but Fumi later find peace and friendship with Haru after a consultation with a midget psychic.

Asleep, which share the same title as the book is the last story where another young woman, Terako who is sleeping her days away after the death of her best friend, Shiori. She felt a deep sense of loss and not even her boyfriend, Mr. Iwanaga could release that pent-up tension in her. Mr. Iwanaga has a wife and Terako only knew about her coma later, as he is reluctant to mention anything about his wife. Terako then slowly began to find her new self only after she see through Shiori's life and a dreamlike encounter with Mr. Iwanaga's wife.

This book has similiar elements in each story, such as connection, friendship, love and death which associated with sleep (as indicated by the book title) and a sense of loneliness. Once again, Banana Yoshimoto has delivered another spellbinding stories, this time around with a mystical touch. She has captured each character's emotions so well that you would be able to feel for them. Another thing I love about Banana Yoshimoto's stories are they are told from a refreshing point of view even if they often revolve around the simple things in our life. Most of the times, I felt myself get carried away with her books because they are simply alluring, and not to mention thought-provoking at times.(less)

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Jul 22, 2011 Albert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La perspectiva es intrínsecamente diferente. Nos adentramos a un universo distinto, acaso ni siquiera fronterizo al nuestro (o mejor dicho al Mío), en el que el sueño deja de ser vislumbrado como la mera recompensa que se obtiene al dormir y/o descansar después de horas de trabajo intenso durante el día. En su lugar, se percibe al sueño como otra alternativa que se nos presenta para sanar las heridas que poco a poco va rasgando la vida de 3 japonesas inmersas en sus cavilaciones banales, y de ah...more

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Nov 14, 2010 Grace rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 27, 2009 okyrhoe rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: japan, bookcrossing

Of the three stories in this book, it's a wise choice that "Night and Night's Travelers" appears first, as it is the most complex and subtle narrative. I appreciate this particular piece mainly because the confusion over the loss of a loved one is experienced through several characters - Shibami, her cousin Mari, as well as by Sarah the ex-girlfriend. The death of Yoshihiro affects each of these women differently and Banana Yoshimoto nicely resolves the tension within each character by bring eac...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Dan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: literature, read-in-2012

This book is comprised of three stories, all of which seem to deal with loss. Sadly none of them connected emotionally with me. Maybe it's because I've recently read two incredible novels of loss (Threats: A Novel and A Prayer for the Dying).

Maybe it's something that's lost in translation because I never feel emotionally engaged by Japanese literature (despite often enjoying it).

My advice is to skip this one and read Yoshomoto's Kitchen instead.

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Mar 07, 2013 Israel Pompa-Alcalá rated it 5 of 5 stars

Una belleza absoluta. Banana Yoshimito (dueña de una prosa prodigiosamente sencilla) describe con soltura y maestría los diversos estados del sueño en este libro: a veces pausados, tranquilos, profundos, etéreos y a veces perturbadores, raros, sin sentido. Sueño Profundo revela a una autora de una sensibilidad apabullante: todo lo escrito evoca imágenes, sonidos, rostros. Pareciera que uno contemplara el caer de las hojas de los cerezos.
Otro hallazgo: los autores japoneses no hacen literatura:...more

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Jan 09, 2013 Eleanor Dupont rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think we all have that book on our shelf that we don't really know what it's about, probably got it as a gift, and never picked it up. This was mine and I decided to make it the first to read on my 30 Books In 2013 list. I picked it really because it had a fairly sized type and not too many pages, so I thought it would be a good kick-off to the year ahead.

I have never been more depressed by reading a book.

I have trouble reading and I SPED READ THROUGH THIS THING BECAUSE IT WAS SO SAD, BUT I WO...more

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May 31, 2009 Najibah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009, in-current-library, japan, books-to-give-away

Kalau tidur anda terganggu, cuba susuri sebabnya ke akar umbi. Mungkinkah ada seorang musuh-tapi-teman lama yang baru sahaja mati dan cuba berkomunikasi dengan anda? Dan apabila ada trauma atau sekatan hidup yang telah menukar tidur yang indah menjadi suatu ketagihan, atau derita sleepwalking, maka apakah peleraian yang paling mujarab?

Inti kisah hidup tiga insan antara tidur dan jaga, serta bersulam kematian, unik terhimpun dalam tiga novela yang disatukan dalam buku Asleep karya Banana Yoshimo...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Carla rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lo amé. Me gustó tanto que hasta me tomo la molestia de escribirle una reseña... Prosa simple, pero maravillosa (supongo que así será también en el original en japonés, pero la traducción al español me gustó). Theme: el título lo dice todo. El sueño como conciliador, consolador (sin albur) y hasta místico. Sobre el amor, conocer la tristeza más profunda y ser capaz de recuperarse y seguir adelante (eso tenía un nombre que me enseñaron en mis clases de la universidad, pero... ah, ¡¡epifanía!!, co...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick read and I really liked it. As someone who oversleeps when stressed, I related a lot to the character's experiences of sleep and difficulty adjusting to life circumstances.

I love magical realism, and the little twists on reality which the author uses to lead you through the character's dreamy experiences. Sleep is a perfect metaphor for the unreality of dealing with a traumatic life event. If you've never experienced a great loss or depression, think twice before writing this b...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Scarlett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 21st-century

Well, this is my first Banana Yoshimoto and I can't say I'm too impressed. These are three stories about women who are feeling utterly lost in the world and by the end of their respective stories, they somehow have some kind of epiphany or something changes for them and they suddenly feel more "at ease". Well, I wasn't convinced about the development of the story/character to find real satisfaction in these endings. However, there is a certain beauty in the writings, and at times, they provoke c...more

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May 23, 2013 James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-books, modern-literature, japanese-literature

Asleep by Banana Yoshimoto is a collection of three short stories focusing on the transitory nature of life and nostalgia from one of Japan's most famous modern writers. Each story is tinged with loss, death, and sleep and how one, while shunning the ordinariness of the world, comes to terms with that. Of the three stories ("Night and Night's Travellers", "Long Songs", and "Asleep"), my favourite was the first one, which could have been extended just a little more.

All three stories do not reall...more

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Mar 24, 2013 MJ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Asleep is actually three thematically related stories dealing with death, love, and yes, sleep.

In “Night and Night’s Travelers,” Shibami and her family deal with the aftermath of her brother’s death. This is the only story in which the narrator is not also our sleeper. Instead, Shibami serves as the link between two of her brother’s former lovers. Sarah is an American exchange student who had a relationship with Yoshihiro both in Japan and back in Boston. Mari is a cousin who realized she and Yo...more Asleep is actually three thematically related stories dealing with death, love, and yes, sleep.

In “Night and Night’s Travelers,” Shibami and her family deal with the aftermath of her brother’s death. This is the only story in which the narrator is not also our sleeper. Instead, Shibami serves as the link between two of her brother’s former lovers. Sarah is an American exchange student who had a relationship with Yoshihiro both in Japan and back in Boston. Mari is a cousin who realized she and Yoshihiro were more to each other once he returned to Japan. Mari is sleepwalking through life in her grief. Sarah is married with two children when Yoshihiro dies, but still is profoundly affected by his passing. the two women want to reach out to one another, but never truly make direct contact. Yoshimoto’s sparse, haunting tone makes you wonder what would result should they meet up – hope, or despair?

“Love Songs” was my least favorite of the three stories. Fumi has been hearing a song in her sleep. She connects this music to Haru, a woman with whom she once shared a lover. The two women fought constantly, but had an odd attraction to one another. I enjoyed the exploration of the relationship between these two women, but I felt the rather mystical ending was a bit out of place with the rest of the story.

Finally, “Asleep,” the title story, was the most surreal. Terako is dating a married man whose wife is in a coma. She has given up her job, and spends much of her days sleeping until her boyfriend calls. For some reason, she will wake when his voice is on the other end of the line, but sleeps through any other call. She is also grieving the suicide of her friend and former roommate, Shiori. Shiori had a rather unusual job as a kind of sleep companion. Eventually, the weight of taking on other people’s dreams became too much for her to bear. Terako feels that she is now doing the same thing. It remains more and more difficult for her to wake, even to take care of her basic needs. It is only after connecting with Mrs. Iwanaga, her boyfriend’s comatose wife, that she is able to slowly climb back to the land of the living.

In each of the stories, there is a physic-like connection between female characters. Mari and Sarah, Fumi and Haru, Tarako with both Shiori and Mrs. Iwanaga. Is there a mystic bond of sisterhood? A tie that exists between women, who share so many similar experiences in this world? I tend not to personally believe in such things, but I certainly don’t mind fiction that makes me think about it.

More on the blog: Wandering in the Stacks (less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Francesco Camagna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: racconti

"Queste tre storie, dice Banana Yoshimoto, raccontano la notte di alcuni personaggi che si trovano in una situazione di blocco, in una fase in cui il flusso regolare del tempo si è interrotto". In questa sospensione, emergono i temi a lei più cari, i percorsi del suicidio, la decadenza dell'istituzione familiare, il ruolo della sessualità, ritratti questa volta in noir, per suscitare una forte emozione.

I tre racconti contenuti in quest'opera sono Sonno profondo, Viaggiatori nella notte, Un'esper...more

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Nov 11, 2012 Timur Aliev rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, yoshimoto

В очередной раз пребывая рядом с библиотечными полками, я схватил ещё одну маленькую книжку Есимоты. По возвращению домой моя женщина заприметила эту книжку и всячески намекала на то, что она тоже не прочь бы её прочитать(ещё бы, книга про трех сплюш). В итоге прочла её первой, написала очень тонкий и лаконичный отзыв и оставила мне на растерзание.

Очередной раз замечаю, что короткие рассказы о любви и смерти - это тот жанр, в котором Есимото - мастер. Ее проза - это чувственность и безмятежность...more В очередной раз пребывая рядом с библиотечными полками, я схватил ещё одну маленькую книжку Есимоты. По возвращению домой моя женщина заприметила эту книжку и всячески намекала на то, что она тоже не прочь бы её прочитать (ещё бы, книга про трех сплюш). В итоге прочла её первой, написала очень тонкий и лаконичный отзыв и оставила мне на растерзание.

Очередной раз замечаю, что короткие рассказы о любви и смерти - это тот жанр, в котором Есимото - мастер. Ее проза - это чувственность и безмятежность, герои этой книжки - женщины, окутанные в кокон сна и беззаботности. С течением повествования происходит все так, как предусмотрено у Есимото: жизнь течет и меняется, люди уходят, а все, что с ними связывало, теперь тревожит, волнует, а некоторых ломает, и, вспоминая ушедших из этого мира, мы часто жалеем самих себя. У всех трех рассказов нет логического завершения, таким образом остается возможность вообразить нечто своё.

Читать эти трагические истории было легко и приятно. Здорово описано отношения ко сну как к убежищу от "хаоса действительности". Я бы условно разделил три рассказа на три представления о сне - физическое, эмоциональное и психологическое. А Есимото еще свои истории капелькой мистики, которая манит своей искренностью и теплой атмосферностью. Несчастье у каждой героини - совсем не разрывающее пополам, не жесткое, а напротив - немного обыденное, идущее бок о бок с нами с самого начала нашей жизни до тех пор, пока мы не освобождаемся, периодически давая выход этому чувству.

В общем, Банана в моих глазах ещё раз подчеркнула свою крутость. Кто ещё может писать про обыденную жизнь, переплетая ее с чем-то сверхъестественным? Кто ещё так глубоко способен погрузить в свои рассказы и передать легкую атмосферу меланхолии и отрешенности, пронизанную обволакивающей грустью? Для меня "Спящая" - это своеобразный японский призыв подумать о том, что жизнь стоит того, чтобы не просыпать ее день за днем, а проживать.

"Спящая", Банана Ёсимото / "Shirakawa yofune", Banana Yoshimoto (less)

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Dec 08, 2011 Isabel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When exactly did I give myself over to sleep? When did I stop resisting . . . ? I used to be so lively, I was always wide awake - but when was that? So long ago it felt like ancient times.

* Night and Night's Travellers
* Long Songs
* Asleep

A short book whose 177 pages contain three stories about women who have problems with love, death and sleep. I'm not sure which of the first two I liked best, but the third was definitely my least favourite.

I have read a book of short stories by this author befo...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Roberta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

In apnea

In apnea sono stata io durante la lettura di questi tre racconti, in apnea sono i personaggi che, come spesso accade nei libri della Yoshimoto, si trovano in una specie di limbo dal quale devono cercare di "svegliarsi".

SONNO PROFONDO

La protagonista, una giovane donna autoesiliatasi a causa di una storia d'amore, comincia ad avvertire sempre più forte la fascinazione per il sonno, fino a che questa sconfina nella narcolessia. La metafora del sonno è fittamente presente nel racconto, nella...more In apnea

In apnea sono stata io durante la lettura di questi tre racconti, in apnea sono i personaggi che, come spesso accade nei libri della Yoshimoto, si trovano in una specie di limbo dal quale devono cercare di "svegliarsi".

SONNO PROFONDO

La protagonista, una giovane donna autoesiliatasi a causa di una storia d'amore, comincia ad avvertire sempre più forte la fascinazione per il sonno, fino a che questa sconfina nella narcolessia. La metafora del sonno è fittamente presente nel racconto, nella vita di più personaggi.

VIAGGIATORI NELLA NOTTE

La morte di un giovane è al centro di questo secondo racconto che viene raccontato dalla prospettiva della sorella, che rimane affascinata dalla vita di questo ragazzo particolarmente intenso. Tanti momenti di suspence (applauso per la scena in cui compare Marie per la prima volta) per una risoluzione un po' fiappa e sospesa. In questo caso il "sonno" è costituito dalla sospensione che vivono le persone che avevano avuto uno stretto rapporto con il defunto.

UN'ESPERIENZA

Terzo ed ultimo racconto, ha per protagonista una giovane donna che, in attesa di iniziare a lavorare per il suo ragazzo, si dedica allegramente alla bottiglia, finendo tutte le sere con il sentire una melodia proprio nel momento in cui si sta per addormentare. Il suo ragazzo le suggerisce che potrebbe essere il fantasma di una persona conosciuta che tenta di mettersi in contatto con lei, e la porta da un nano che può metterla in contatto con i morti.
Anche se le storie in alcuni punti potevano essere migliorate, non mi sento di dare meno di quattro stelline a questa raccolta, per la fascinazione che sempre esercita su di me la prosa della Yoshimoto.
Nei suoi racconti i protagonisti vivono spesso delle situazioni a dir poco incredibili, eppure le loro emozioni e le loro azioni hanno sempre un'aura patinata, rarefatta, di confortante quotidianità, che esercitano un'attrazione incredibile su di me. Per quanto morboso e triste possa essere il racconto, le sensazioni che mi suscita non sono mai angoscianti, arrivo al massimo ad una piacevole malinconia.(less)

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Jan 11, 2012 Tina rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Insomniacs! hahaha

Though I often like novels that focus on introspection and/or choose speculation over action, this was not the best choice during my current Skyrim addiction. Because, and I'll admit it, I was more interested in fighting Draugr than reading about women sleeping. My "it was ok" response could also be linked to the fact that almost all the characters were unlikeable or I couldn't relate to them. The last woman was the worst. "I'm so sleepy because all I do is mooch off my boyfriend and dream about...more

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Jan 29, 2009 Terri rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, japanese-literature-challenge

Asleep is a collection of three short novellas, all of which focus on some aspect of death and also a sleeping, either literal or psychic, born of trauma.

"Night and Night's Travelers" is a tale of the literal death of one and the resulting temporary emotional death of another. The narrator is Shibami and she tells the story of her "vibrantly charismatic" brother Yoshihiro and her dreamy cousin Mari. Yoshihiro and Mari are not only cousins, but lovers. After Yoshihiro's death, Mari withdraws and...more Asleep is a collection of three short novellas, all of which focus on some aspect of death and also a sleeping, either literal or psychic, born of trauma.

"Night and Night's Travelers" is a tale of the literal death of one and the resulting temporary emotional death of another. The narrator is Shibami and she tells the story of her "vibrantly charismatic" brother Yoshihiro and her dreamy cousin Mari. Yoshihiro and Mari are not only cousins, but lovers. After Yoshihiro's death, Mari withdraws and enters a year of dreamlike fog and sleepwalking.

"Love Songs" tells of the haunting of one woman by another. Fumi has found herself at the end of an affair and drinking to excess. She often hears a "soothing voice singing." This voice belongs to Haru, a dead woman with whom Fumi once shared her ex-lover. Fumi is drawn to this voice from the beyond and, through consultation with a midget psychic, is able to meet with Haru. In life, the two women were in a relationship of bitter resentment and jealousy, yet in this meeting of life and afterlife they find peace and friendship.

"Asleep" is the story of Terako who shares the deep sleep of her lover's comatose wife. Mr. Iwanaga has an unusual effect on women ... he puts them to sleep. His wife is in a coma and his lover, Terako, becomes increasingly sleepy. As Terako separates herself from Mr. Iwanaga and creates her own life, she finds a new energy.

Supernatural occurrences seem natural throughout the stories in Asleep. The language is sparse, creating silences and the stories lack any attempt to draw the reader in emotionally. Yoshimoto's writing style reminded me of minimalist Japanese decor. The setting is sparse, but what is there is beautiful. The writing often seems like a prose version of haiku:

Late at night the trees in my garden seemed to shine.
Awash in light from the street, the quiet glittering green of the
leaves and the deep brown of the trunk seemed startlingly vivid.

Those looking for an exciting read will not find it in Asleep. What the reader will find is a quiet and beautiful collection of stories that take the vicissitudes of life in stride.
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Sep 10, 2008 Lois rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in Japanese culture,dreamy fiction lovers

Recommended to Lois by: bookray on bookcrossing.com

How could a book about sleep be so interesting? Asleep, by Banana Yoshimoto, is one of the best books I have ever read. Her writing style is a marvel. Reading Asleep was an experience the like of which I never before had. I plan to purchase this and every one of her other books, something I have never done before with any writer.

Asleep contains three novellas all dealing not only with sleep and the other side of that coin, insomnia, but sleep as a border between dreams and reality, between life...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Christy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Asleep ties together three novellas through the themes of love, sleep, and death. While each story has a distinct plot, it is interesting how the stories share a similar atmosphere. Much like Yoshimoto Banana’s other works, the novel feels ‘young’ and is a very interesting insight to the minds of trouble ones in Japan’s younger generation. Her writing distinctly tells three different stories that seem so unique yet so alike. Like her other writing, Asleep is a bit quirky. I recommend reading wit...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Ariadna73 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved the way these three women describe their lives; their gains and loses in a way that is not complaining or regretting; only describing. They tell you their story and you decide the value of it. A woman than can't stay awake because she is sleeping with a man married to a woman in comma; a girl that has to comfort her cousin; who sleepwalks after her boyfriend's death; and a girl that finds herself talking to her dead rival in her dreams. In general; I think that this book is worth a try.

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Mar 17, 2013 -Marimar- rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, drama, japanese-literature

Acabo de terminarlo, y, como ya esperaba, me ha encantado. No sabría decir cual de los 3 relatos me ha gustado más pero alabo la capacidad de la escritora para meterte en la piel de cada una de las protagonistas y saber como se sienten, de hecho en el primer relato hasta me entraba sueño como a Terako, je je je.
Este libro me ha hecho descubrir a esta autora de la que sin duda no será el último libro que me lea.

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Oct 22, 2010 Kerry rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: japanese, short-stories, reviewed, fiction

This book just didn't have the same appeal for me as "Kitchen" (one of Banana's former works) did. It felt loosely written and a bit disjointed, leaving you with a slighty unsatisfying feeling. In the second story the term "midget" is thrown around. Not in a negative way, but I view it as a negitive term, so I was still offended. Out of all three stories, I have to say I liked "Asleep", the best. It had a good premise, but towards the end it lost me. I suppose I wanted more mystery or general st...more

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About Banana Yoshimoto

Banana Yoshimoto (よしもとばなな ) (born July 24, 1964[1], in Tokyo) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本真秀子 Yoshimoto Mahoko), a Japanese contemporary writer. She writes her name in hiragana.

Yoshimoto, daughter of Takaaki Yoshimoto, was born in Tokyo on July 24, 1964. Along with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Growi...more

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Quotes from Asleep

“I never tell my boyfriend that I'm busy when I'm not. No matter how effective they are, cheap techniques like that just don't agree with me. So it's always okay, it's always all right. In my opinion the surest way to hook a man is to be as open with him as possible.” — 51 people liked it

“It was only after my head started reeling and my body started weaving and I tumbled into bed that I'd hear that soothing voice singing...The reverbations of that voice wandered sweetly, softly, working like a massage on the area of my heart that was the most tightly clenched, helping those knots to loosen. It was like the rush of waves, and like the laughter of people I'd met in all kinds of places, people I'd become friendly with and then separated from, and like the kind words all those people had said to me, and like the mewing of a cat I had lost, and like the mixture of noises that rang in the background in a place that was dear to me, a place far away, a place that no longer existed, and like the rushing of trees that whisked past my ears as I breathed in a scent of fresh greenery on a trip someplace... the voice was like a combination of all this.” — 17 people liked it

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