[Review] Sweet Bean Paste - Durian Sukegawa

Title of Book: Sweet Bean Paste
Author: Durian Sukegawa
Translator: Alison Watts
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Publication Year: 2017
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 213

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.

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Sweet Bean Paste tells the story of Sentaro, a guy who worked in a small confectionery shop called Doraharu selling dorayaki. He worked there with one purpose, to pay his debt then got out of there. One day, an elderly woman came to the shop and asked for a job. She gave him a small container with sweet bean paste in it and asked him to consider her to work there; even offered to be paid below minimum wage. Curious, he tasted the sweet bean paste and quite surprised at how delicious it was. He then offered the job to the woman who then introduced herself as Tokue Yoshii. At first, he thought he hired her because he was looking for a company while selling dorayaki. Moreover, before Tokue, he had always used the store-bought sweet bean paste as the filling for the dorayaki. He thought he could raise sales by using homemade sweet bean paste. As they spent their days making sweet bean paste together at the shop, they formed a bond. However, their days together at the shop was cut short after he found out Tokue’s tragic past.

Sentaro, who is the main character in this book is a man who I think some people could relate to in some way. He used to have a dream of being a writer. A mistake which he did during his youth caused him to spend years in prison. As an ex-convict, his future didn’t seem bright. So he lost hope and gave up his dream of becoming a writer. You don’t necessarily have to be an ex-convict to be able to relate to him. I think, some people ever have the feeling of losing their ambition and giving up their dreams because life got in the way. You never know what life will throw at you so you have to readjust your life dream and purpose. Unfortunately, some people got lost in the way and think that their life have no meaning and purpose.

Sentaro was one of those people who got lost. However, he was lucky that he met Tokue. When he was considering to hire Tokue, one thing which make him hesitant was the fact that Tokue had crippled hands. He was afraid that it would scare the customers away. After getting to know her better and learned how her hands got disfigured, he began to see her in a new light. She also helped him to redefine his life purpose. In a society where people’s value are determined by their usefulness in the community, Tokue gave a new perspective on life to Sentaro that sometimes, we could contribute simply by existing. I think that’s the idea that Sukegawa tried to raise in this book.

Sweet Bean Paste is a book which gives me a different take on life. It tells me to appreciate the small joy in life, to take life one thing at a time and enjoy the process. When I started reading this book, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t even know what this book really is about and I’m glad I read it. Sweet Bean Paste actually has been adapted into a film titled Sweet Bean which I plan to watch. Overall, I recommend this book to read. It’s touching and tug at your heartstrings while could cause you to crave for dorayaki at the same time.