Growing-Up Explored in Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen Essay

Growing-Up Explored in Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen The first time I read Kitchen, I knew I was experiencing something very special. Not since my initial reading of Catcher in the Rye have I witnessed such a perceptive look at the joys and pains of growing up. These coming-of-age novels capture our attention with plots that, while twisting and turning in creative, off-beat ways, remain believable. The writers of these novels tell us their stories with a subtle style more exciting than that of textbooks and assigned reading, a style not unlike a good one-sided conversation. Finally, within this great style of writing, the authors infuse honest insights, often humorous and sometimes poignant, which do not carry a lecturing or†¦show more content†¦Guess what else--shes a man. He could barely contain his amusement. This was too much. I just stared at him in wide-eyed silence. I expected any second he would say, Just kidding. Those tapered fingers, those mannerisms, the way she carried herself... I held my breath remembering that beautiful face; he, on the other hand, was enjoying this (p. 13). Later, when Mikage recounts the time Eriko shared with her the importance of a particular pineapple plant, eyebrows may be raised as the words In this world, tonight, only the pineapple and I understand each other are read. (p. 81) As strange as they sound out of context now, these words are actually moving when you have already learned the meaning Eriko placed on the plant. Yoshimoto arranges unique scenarios such as these in expressive ways that, in the hands of less talented authors, would otherwise appear simply ridiculous. She touches young adults because she is able to bring realism to these strange stories. Once the reader has accepted her unique storyline, he is drawn to her subtle writing style. There is no doubt that Yoshimoto is proficient at setting the scene. Chilled-looking people walking along the riverside, the snow beginning, faintly, to pile up on the roofs of cars, the bare trees shaking their heads left and right, dry leaves tossing in the wind (p. 103). At times, the Japanese life she describes seems familiar. What is more important in a coming-of-age