Review: Sweet Bean Paste

Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Heartwarming and sad story. Recently I have watched an interview with a girl who has Tourette syndrome in Ukraine. She was explaining how hard it was for her to be around other people, because they wouldn't understand her struggles dur to lack of information about it. Reading this book brought me back to that interview, because there are many parallels

This book is about social stigma towards those who is different from us stemming from ignorance and lack of wish to educate yourself, and rigidity of the mind. Also, it's about kindness and second chances in life. About open-mindedness and attention to those who surround you.

Japanese literature has this very specific vibe and flow that I can not express in words. There's something really zen about how the Japanese writers describe even the hardest drama.

I liked the book a lot and would recommend it to anyone.

View all my reviews