I thoroughly enjoyed reading Goodbye Tsugumi from start to finish. For me what stood out most in Banana Yoshimoto‘s writing in this novel is that the story was enthralling with many clever plot twists that made it very unpredictable. On top of that Yoshimoto is truly skilled at capturing the essence of human relationships, be they platonic or romantic. She paints authentic, complex and believable characters with strong personalities, who are endearing despite their flaws. Her writing style is lyrical, smooth and unpretentious which made Goodbye Tsugumi a suprisingly light read despite the heavy subject matter (illness and death). Interestingly, after reading Kitchen and Hardboiled & Hard Luck, I am left feeling as if her writing is quite distinct in each book. Overall, I would highly recommend Goodbye Tsugumi to anyone, it is one of my favorite reads so far this year.
Have you read Goodbye Tsugumi? or any of Banana Yoshimoto’s other works? What are your thougts after reading her work? What do you find most intriguing about her writing? Thanks as always for stopping by! Please feel free to share your thoughts or reactions in a comment below. Also, if you would like to receive more updates about my writing please consider joining my newsletter mailing list by subscribing below.