Sweet Bean Paste: To Read or Not to Read?

Hi Readers,

I was searching for books to gift someone, and in that list, I found Sweet Bean Paste. I had heard about this book for a while and had only heard wonderful things. And, as it was a short one, I thought I would read for myself and then decide if it was worth gifting. I finished the book in a matter of two days!

~~GOODREADS DESCRIPTION~~

Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, drinks too much, and his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory. With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste.

Until, that is, Tokue comes into his life. An elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past, she makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. The unlikeliest of friendships blossoms, but it will take all of their resolve – and plenty of pancakes – to protect themselves when Tokue’s dark secret comes to light.

~~THOUGHTS~~

Sweet Bean Paste is a layered book with several themes, none of which overpower each other. We see Sentaro’s routine life in the first half of the novel. He goes to the shop, makes dorayaki and sells it to the few customers he has. Soon, Tokue, an elderly woman comes into the shop and somehow convinces Sentaro to allow her to make the sweet bean paste. We see how Sentaro’s approach to the job changes from being just there for the sake of it to actually putting in a lot of hard work and even wanting to expand the business!

In the second half, we are acquainted more with Tokue’s story, which is a contrast and feels like a completely different story from the first half. We understand that Tokue had leprosy when she was a child. She was cured decades ago and lived with other people who also had it cured ages ago. They all lived in a sanatorium of sorts because they couldn’t go back to their families who thought they were a burden. And even all these years later, there was still prejudice against them.

I felt that there was a lot of disconnect in the book. If it were a longer book with two connected short stories, both characters’ stories would have had room to grow which showed more of their past and present. In the first part, I would have liked to see the major differences between Sentaro’s work ethic. The setup being a confectionary shop was perfect for a healing fiction novel. So, some more coziness around the shop and customers might have added more charm to Sentaro’s character and plot. And, as for Tokue’s story, while it was heartbreaking, I would have liked to read more about how they were treated in the early days in comparison to their current situation.

I felt that there was a lot missing from the book in general, which is why, I didn’t reach the peak of my reading experience and my emotional depth while exploring the characters’ emotion. I’m still glad I read the book, and would recommend it if you are not as cynical a reader as I am! I have rated Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, translated by Alison Watts at 3/5 stars!

Until next time,