It helps because much of this comes from Tokue, an elderly woman who’s hands have become gnarled due to Hansen’s disease, is so endearing a character. It is indeed rather sweet as confectionery but manages to never seem overly saccharine even as it delivers big sweeping messages on interconnectedness and people being our footholds to know we are part of a big, beautiful cosmic existence. This was a charming little novella and made for a nice final read for 2022, so thank you to Nenia for recommending it (read her wonderful review here).
And that's how I was able to live out my life.’ I made sweet things for all those who lived with the sadness of loss. Durian Sukegawa delivers a lovely book that tackles a difficult piece of Japanese history surrounding the treatment of people with leprosy that becomes a moving statement not just about accepting and understanding one another and history, but also about embracing and including. While fairly simple itself, it is still effectively affecting and spirals through moments both heart-warming and heart-wrenching as the characters face the trials and tribulations of life with grace and remind us all to be open to love and acceptance. Short and with a simple but direct prose, wonderfully translated by Alison Watts, Sweet Bean Paste is a story as sweet as the title would imply, making for an idyllic little read. In Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, an unlikely friendship between an formerly incarcerated confectionary shop worker, the 78 year old woman he hires and a troubled teen girl becomes an emotional investigation into stigmas around identity and health and demonstrates that the only thing shameful about them are the stigmas themselves.
Social stigmas are an oppressive force, particularly in societies when one’s value is often determined by the profitability of one’s labor for others. ‘ We are born in order to see and listen to the world.’
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