NHFT virtual book club meeting #37 - Sweet Bean Paste

After our visit to Charon County, Virgina, via S.A. Cosby's searing mix of crime, religion and race in the superb gritty thriller All the Sinners Bleed, we are off to Japan for a rather different tale of friendship and social stigma in Durian Sukegawa's Sweet Bean Paste.

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.

But everything is about to change.

Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly woman with disfigured hands and a troubled past. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted. She begins to teach him her craft, but as their friendship flourishes, social pressures become impossible to escape and Tokue’s dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences.

‘Simply delicious.’ – The Guardian 

‘An endearing, thoughtful tale about relationships and the everyday meaning of life....’ – Library Journal

‘A subtle, moving exploration of redemption in an unforgiving society... A book with deceptive heft and lingering resonance.’ - Japan Times

We'll be meeting on Thursday 25th of July via MS Teams where we will be discussing the novel. You can find the link via the Events Calendar on the Staff Room.

Hope to see you there...