Maria, the narrator, spends a last summer at a seaside inn in Japan with her cousin Tsugumi, a sickly, willful and sharp-tongued young woman who has always been fragile and uses her illness to get her way. Their family runs the inn, and the summer includes trips to the beach, a dog, a mysterious boy and several moments of mischief. Banana Yoshimoto describes the coastal town the narrator is about to leave and the relationship between two cousins, and their coming to terms with change.
It suits readers who like gentle, nostalgic Japanese fiction about adolescence and friendship. It is an easy summer read with a bittersweet end.
Inward-looking and thought-provoking; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1989
- Language
- EN
