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Goodbye Tsugumi, by Banana Yoshimoto

I like all of Banana Yoshimoto's books except Amrita. They flow the same way for me as certain Ernest Hemingway and Charles Bukowski books. I seem to get absorbed more easily into books written in the first person, and in a more conversational style. Third-person writing seems too cold for me.

Anyway, this book isn't so much about a story as an impression of a time in the main character's life. It's a faux memoir of time at an inn owned by her aunt, and her experiences with her cousin Tsugumi, a frail, perpetually ill girl who dealt with her discomfort by abusing everyone around her. The main character's perspective is unique among the other characters because she claims an insightful understanding of Tsugumi's character and motivations.

I didn't really draw much from the book, other than a very nice imagery of the rainy Japanese coast which made me miss Seattle a tiny bit. I don't think the book is "deep" in any sense of the word, but more like a nice cup of soup -- ephemerally warming then forgotten later.

I know I always talk about how quick some books are to read. I read this one while sitting in the airport because my flight was cancelled, so I know it took exactly 2.5 hours to read in a crowded, noisy terminal.

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