ジュージュー

by Banana Yoshimoto, よしもと ばなな

美津子は両親から受け継いだステーキ＆ハンバーグ店「ジュージュー」を、遠縁で元恋人でもある進一と共に切り盛りしている。「自分の前世が見える」という進一の妻・夕子さんはじめ、まわりに集うのは、ちょっと奇妙で愛すべき面々ばかり。秘伝の味にこめられた魔法の力とは？生きることのかけがえのなさを描いた感動作。

Genres: Japanese Literature

163 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Banana Yoshimoto (よしもと ばなな or 吉本 ばなな) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本 真秀子), a Japanese contemporary writer. She writes her name in hiragana. (See also 吉本芭娜娜 (Chinese).)

Along with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Growing up in a liberal family, she learned the value of independence from a young age.

She graduated from Nihon University's Art College, majoring in Literature. During that time, she took the pseudonym "Banana" after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both "cute" and "purposefully androgynous."

Despite her success, Yoshimoto remains a down-to-earth and obscure figure. Whenever she appears in public she eschews make-up and dresses simply. She keeps her personal life guarded, and reveals little about her certified Rolfing practitioner, Hiroyoshi Tahata and son (born in 2003). Instead, she talks about her writing. Each day she takes half an hour to write at her computer, and she says, "I tend to feel guilty because I write these stories almost for fun."

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️

Un poquito turbio como cualquier libro de esta tía pero una prosa muy bonita y unos personajes interesantes! Trata como siempre la pérdida, pero también otros temas cotidianos como el barrio en el que se desarrolla la historia, con sus tiendas, restaurantes y vecinos. De cómo la pérdida se puede sobrellevar mejor o peor precisamente por estos espacios compartidos con la misma gente de siempre en la que de repente falta alguien.
Quitando las cosas un poco turbias está bastante bien, Banana Yoshimoto escribe súper bonito y me consigue enganchar a cualquier cosa que cuente.

[Ally Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

p.33 很多人說，如實活著，即使失敗了，重新再來就好。可是，如實活著，總會有某個地方受到小小的損壞，再也無法重新來過。

p.37 要讓人生簡單，並不容易。就像衝浪。海浪時時刻刻變換姿態，我們只能隨時保持平衡。即使姿勢有點扭曲，只要保持意圖，在時間中，事情會變得單純。

p.60 那些在人狀況好時四散而不想看到的小事物，在人脆弱的時候，就像牆上的斑點，輕輕浮現。

p.66 雖然那個夢想已走在不會實現的軌道上，但還是不想捨棄。

p.96 這就是戀愛啊。因為不同而喜歡，但也因為不同，所以得不到。

p.99 將來有一天會死，感覺那是完全相同的路。媽媽就在前面，是無需害怕的路。

p.109 盡是無可奈何的事情。那就是人生。

2013年8月19日

[Iras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sunday afternoon☀️☕️ window-side treat.

A light and easy to read book.
The story is a bit cliche but it is being presented in a comfy and fresh way.
Or maybe I simply enjoy certain Japanese female values constructed by Ms Yoshimoto.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't feel much about the characters. just flipped through it to finish it off.

[Rose Lam · Rating 4 out of 5]

有點奇情但又出奇地讀得舒服和療癒的書，第一本吉本芭娜娜，蠻不錯