Book: Dead-End Memories

Dead-End Memories
Banana Yoshimoto (author), Asa Yoneda (translator)
Amazon Product Link

First published in Japan in 2003 and never before published in the United States, Dead-End Memories collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery.
Among the women we meet in Dead-End Memories is one betrayed by her fiancé who finds a perfect refuge in an apartment above her uncle's bar while seeking the real meaning of happiness. In "House of Ghosts," the daughter of a yoshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven't yet realized that they've been dead for years. In "Tomo-chan's Happiness," an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance.
Yoshimoto's gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with, and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect. Discover this collection of what Yoshimoto herself calls the "most precious work of my writing career."

= + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = +

This is actually the second Banana Yoshimoto book I’ve read (the first was Goodbye, Tsugumi). I don’t quite remember what I thought about that one, just that, it was about some dying the friend, but that friend just never died (until the end of the book). I forget if it was some real thing or something that was made up by the friend.

This had about 5 snippets or stories, all of which, per usual Japanese authored books, had no real conclusion to them. I think I kind of related the most to the main character of the last story (Dead-End Memories), whereas the one I could not relate to the most was probably the first one (The House of Ghosts). I can see the practical-ness of it, but I couldn’t see any real person actually ok with it (or maybe there are, how would I know).

Cute, I-thought-it-would-be-a-quick-read-but-wasn’t.

Book: I Deliver Parcels in Beijing

I Deliver Parcels In Beijing
Hu Anyan (author), Jack Hargreaves (translator)
Amazon Product Link

In 2023, I Deliver Parcels in Beijing became the literary sensation of the year in China. Hu Anyan’s story, about short-term jobs in various anonymous megacities, hit a nerve with a generation of young people who feel at odds with an ever-growing pressure to perform and succeed.

Hu started posting essays about his experiences online during COVID lockdowns. His recollection of night shifts in a huge logistics center in the south of China went viral: his nights were so hot that he could drink three liters of water without taking a toilet break; his days were spent searching for affordable rooms with proper air-conditioning; and his few moments of leisure were consumed by calculations of the amount of alcohol needed to sleep but not feel drowsy a few hours later.

Hu Anyan tells us about brutal work, where there is no real future in sight. But Hu is armed with deadpan humor and a strong idea of self. He moves on when he feels stuck—from logistics in the south, to parcel delivery in Beijing, to other impossible jobs. Along the way, he turns to reading and writing for strength and companionship.

I Deliver Parcels in Beijing is an honest and startling first-person portrait of Hu Anyan's struggle against the dehumanizing nature of our contemporary global work system—and his discovery of the power of sharing a story.

+ = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + = + =

This is the book that the new book club I’m in has chosen by number of votes. There is also another book from the list that I may read over Christmas.

This was a bit of a palate cleanser, a somewhat monologue biography type of thing. The book is basically 5 pieces of writing. Timeline-wise it was a little disjointed, because each piece was written at a different time. The last chapter sort of is a conclusion piece that wraps up and kind of sorts out the timeline of the previous 4 pieces, and also kind of explains how, he seemed to have had a million jobs, despite being just 4 years older than I am.

This has sort of made me think about what I would describe as an idyllic life and a good work-life balance, without the common “BS” older generation people would think of… I consider myself part oft he older generation. There’s no real freedom, just the road to attaining freedom. I don’t think I’d really feel comfortable with total freedom. I have to have some kind of work going on. And right on spot about needing a safety net, a personal boundary. Will I ever have the courage to try the kind of 6-months working, 6-months going whatever? I know it’s never.

Anyway, this was a nice read. Glad to have had the chance to read this.