Kitchen perfectly encapsulates the feeling of immense despair and sadness that comes with grief. The profound longing that one has for catharsis is crystal clear in the author's vision, which she then narrates with such grace. Every sentence in this book, although it may look simple, breaks the reader's heart into millions of pieces only for the next phrase to put those pieces back together.
Moments that I may have experienced in my everyday life, that I would describe as normal or mundane, are magical in Banana’s words. The author makes every single moment feel like a miraculous blessing. I would suppose this is done on purpose, to remind us of the devastation that death brings, making every single second of life so extraordinary that we can no longer take them for granted. We wish for those mundane moments with our loved ones who are now gone. Perhaps washing the dishes with them. I know I would do anything to wash the dishes with my grandfather.
After finishing this book, I felt the urge to look back and absorb every single word. I was left with the sensation that every feeling I have felt in the past five months as I lost two dear family members was immaculately depicted. Words that I couldn’t put on the jumble of feelings that I was experiencing were finally written by somebody else who knows exactly what I went through, who felt them just as much as I did.
As much as I was left with melancholy, I was also left with the feeling of belonging because somebody else, many many years ago, put pen to paper to narrate the insurmountable weight of emotions one goes through during moments of grief.
I share with you this short review to urge you to read this book if you’re looking for reasoning behind life and death. Although, there is none, Banana Yoshimoto tries her best to come up with something, a reason, that can feel like a sigh of relief.
As heavy as a book of this nature might sound, it’s an easy read. The writer’s style is linear, not in a boring or stern way. The only waves you might experience are emotions. With every page, you dive deeper into the story that reality no longer exists. It’s just you and Banana’s world. In the kitchen, around delicious food.