“I began to understand that we were born in order to see and listen to the world. And that’s all this world wants of us. It doesn’t matter that I was never a teacher or a member of the workforce, my life had meaning.” – 4.25/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: cherry blossoms, new recipes, drinking problems, new employees, discrimination, dorayaki, debt, caged birds, depression, school girls, Hansen’s disease and, of course, 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.

Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa’s beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world.

I got this book as a gift, knowing absolutely nothing about it. So thank you gifter, I ended up being very surprised with how good the story was! It was the perfect way to start my 2023 reading year, and if I’m lucky… hopefully this sets the tone for the entire year – well, I can dream!

So what is this book about? In a nutshell, I would say it’s about social discrimination, improbable friendships and learning how to be patient and listen. Ah yes, and the making of sweet bean paste, of course!

I’m probably spoiling the book (just a little) in the next sentences, so be aware of that! Tokue is the old lady Sentaro hired to work with him in the dorayaki cafe, but she is constantly being discriminated against for being sick in the past. This happened ever since she was a teenager, when she first got sick. The thing is: she is not sick anymore. She hasn’t been sick for a very long time, but since she has a lot of physical damage on the visible parts of her body, the customers don’t want to be near her. It’s a tough book to read sometimes because it breaks my heart that some people go through this.

What also makes this book so great – besides the message – is the powerful combination of amazing characters and immersive writing. The characters were amazing and I truly loved every single one of them. My favorite was Tokue, of course. She is a very kind-hearted character, full of wisdom. One of my favorite things about the book is how Tokue constantly tells Sentaro to listen to things and to be patient. 

The writing is very immersive and atmospheric. There are plenty of sensorial descriptions throughout the book – such as food, weather, etc. -, and I believe that added an extra layer of greatness to the book. 

I just love how timeless this book feels. It felt like I was reading a classic book, and it would still make sense to read it in 100 years. Also, thanks to this book I was able to learn about Hansen’s disease and how it impacted Japan.

I honestly can’t recommend this book enough. Even though it was a heartbreaking kind of book, I still loved everything about it and I’m sure the story is going to stay with me for a long time. I am curious about the movie adaptation.

Oh yeah, and now I want a (high quality) dorayaki.