Goodbye Tsugumi

I dislike reading most novels because they take too long or they become too complex and have too many characters to keep track of. I love Banana Yoshimoto's simple plots and uncomplicated writing style. Her stories have a unique charm to them and feel refreshing like a swim in the ocean. In this short story she tells the tale of an ailing cousin, Tsugumi, whom she tolerates because she is always close to death. Somehow Banana Yoshimoto makes even disagreeable people seem charming. You can't help but want to know more about Tsugumi once you meet her. The descriptions of the ocean and beach are also captivating. There is something beautiful and warm about Goodbye Tsugumi that you don't find very often. If you have read Kitchen then I think you will also love this story. Banana Yoshimoto's ethereal writing is completely captivating and you can easily finish this book in a matter of hours. ~The Rebecca Review

I simply adore this book. Goodbye Tsugumi is marvelous, I think, because of the feeling of bittersweet nostalgia it instills. Reading this book about good times now past bring forth memories and hopes of happinesses to come. The characters are wonderfully created, and the plot, though simple and in some cases more or less non-existent, is still a delight to follow. Simply put, an excellent novel.

ALL OF BANANA YOSHIMOTO'S BOOK HAVE THE SAME 3 THEMES. SLEEP: DEATH: PEOPLE LIVING A WHILE TOGETHER AS A FAMILY INCLUDING A COUSIN. ALL OF HER BOOKS ARE EXCELLENT OR GOOD. THIS IS BANANA YOSHIMOTO'S BEST BOOK.

Many folks reviewing this book seem to think that this book is a recent addition to the writings of Yoshimoto, but in fact it was written in 1989. So Yoshimoto was 25 when she wrote it. I'm just glad that no one is comparing it to Mishima... Anyway, this book stars a young 19 year old girl named Maria who has just left her seaside home to go to Tokyo. Her father and her mother having just gotten married. okay that might have made a few of you pause. 19? just getting married, yep. Maria's mother was her father's mistress and after a long divorce they are finally able to live as a family, so is this a domestic drama? No, the real story begins when Maria goes back to the seaside inn that her aunt and uncle own, and back to her cousin Tsugumi. Obviously as one can tell by the title of the book, Tsugumi is the true main character of the book. Tsugumi is not the niceset of girls. Afflicted with a weak constitution, Tsugumi was completely spoiled by her family, including Maria and Tsugumi's older sister Yoko, but instead of being grateful Tsugumi is a quite a cruel person, but also one possessing great beauty and emotion. This is a really good book, and those who are fans of Yoshimoto's wriitings will enjoy it. If you are looking for a female Mishima, go look somewhere else.

I really do not know what to say, in fact I am at a total loss of words. This book was much more than I ever expected. This is not just some teenie-bopper novel, it is high art. I have been crushed, broken, and undone by this story, it is so beautiful and so tragic, and so..................