Sweet Bean Paste by Durian SukegawaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
"I heard ...the moon whispering to me: I wanted you to see me. That's why I shine like this."
A dear friend gifted this to me for our book club's celebration of love in all its forms. And this book WAS about love, although not the romantic sort.
It was about the love of a sweet old lady for the most mundane things of life, the monotonous day-to-day repetitive tasks and chores that are part and parcel of existing.
It was about an ex-con's re-discovery of his self-respect.
It was about a leper colony, and how it is easier to change laws than men's hearts and attitudes towards Hansen's disease.
It was about the meaning of life. It challenged the notion that, for a life to have meaning, it needs to be useful.
Sukegawa's novel posits the theory that the meaning of life is to experience the universe, to appreciate the moon and be grateful for the wind. That for anything (even the universe!) to be said to truly EXIST, it needs to be experienced by another.
This book was a lovely experience!! I have a feeling I shall come back and re-read this when I suffer loss and failure (as we all must) in the future. It will comfort me and remind me that everything has meaning.
And oooooh, now I'm wondering where I can get my hands on some dorayaki in Manila. :'D
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