Japan's internationally celebrated master storyteller returns with five stories of women on their way to healing that vividly portrays the blissful moments and the sorrows that surround us in everyday life



First published in Japan in 2003, Dead-End Memories collects the stories of five women who, following sudden and painful events, quietly discover their ways back to recovery.



Among the women we meet in Dead-End Memories is one betrayed by her fiancé who finds a perfect refuge in an apartment above her uncle's bar while seeking the real meaning of happiness. In "House of Ghosts," the daughter of a yoshoku restaurant owner encounters the ghosts of a sweet elderly couple who haven't yet realized that they've been dead for years. In "Tomo-chan's Happiness," an office worker who is a victim of sexual assault finally catches sight of the hope of romance.



Yoshimoto's gentle, effortless prose reminds us that one true miracle can be as simple as having someone to share a meal with, and that happiness is always within us if only we take a moment to pause and reflect. Discover this collection of what Yoshimoto herself calls the "most precious work of my writing career." - (Findaway World Llc)

Library Journal Reviews

Yoshimoto's (Moshi Moshi) bittersweet short story collection, first published in Japan in 2003, is now available in audio and print for English-speaking audiences. Delicately translated by Yoneda, each of Yoshimoto's five stories centers on young professional Japanese women whose encounters with misfortune, betrayal, and grief force them to re-examine past relationships and contend with new visions for their futures. In "House of Ghosts," two college students forge a connection, first motivated by food and later cemented by two ghosts who inhabit a soon-to-be demolished apartment. In "Mama!," a near-fatal case of intentional food poisoning causes a book editor to see her relationship with her mother and her fiancé in a new light. Unfortunately, while these stories are nuanced and affecting, narrator Kathleen Li fails to tap into the gentle lyricism of Yoshimoto's prose. Li's plodding cadence and overly emphasized pronunciation of Japanese words may draw listeners out of the story. Male voices seem forced, and female voices are too similar to distinguish. VERDICT Short story readers and fans of Yoshimoto's work will find much to love, but this powerful collection that may be better experienced in print than in audio.—Sarah Hashimoto