DEAD-END MEMORIES PB – BANANA YOSHIMOTO

p b Poignant . . . deeply nostalgic. i GLAMOUR /i br / Strange, melancholy and beautiful. BRANDON TAYLOR br / The supreme poet of solitude. /b i b SPECTATOR /b br / br / There was no past, no future, no words, nothing – just the light and the yellow and the scent of dry leaves in the sun. /i br / br / Japan s internationally celebrated storyteller returns with five stories of healing and hope. Effortlessly beautiful, nostalgic and melancholy, the stories in i Dead-End Memories /i explore the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, find solace in the blissful moments in everyday life. br / br / The daughter of a restaurant owner experiences a budding romance, accompanied by the ghosts of an elderly couple. After a scandalous near-death experience, an editor gains a new lease of life. A woman seeks refuge in the apartment above her uncle s bar after being betrayed by her fiance. As Yoshimoto s gentle, effortless prose reminds us, one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with, and happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to see it. /p