I just finished reading the Japanese edition of this book after reading the English translation first, and after skimming some of the other reviews on here I have to say that I agree; something important about the spirit of this book is lost in translation. Before I get to sounding all pretentious I have to note that there are other factors influencing my opinion, like:1) I read much slower in Japanese, which might've lead to a much fuller reading experience than what my habit of speeding through English text would have given me.2) I was slightly biased from the start in that I personally think the Japanese language is capable of a sort of quiet romance that English just isn't.That being said, I bumped my 3 star rating up to a 4 after reading the jp version. My reaction after finishing the last page of the english one was to close it, set it on the table, have a sort of "hm, yeah, that was a pretty good book" moment, and then feel a little thoughtful for the rest of the day. It had a hint of that special something, the kind of atmosphere that you can't shake, but it didn't penetrate deep enough and I left the story feeling slightly off balance, like I'd put all my weight onto something that only held me up three quarters of the way. Something about the writing fell flat, almost tasteless in some bits. imho.With the jp one, I'd be sitting on the train crowded in by people and weird smells and noisiness, reading, and suddenly I'd find myself feeling pulled tight into myself with the pressure of tears building in the backs of my eyeballs. Something about it being in Japanese gives the book such a different feel and I can't pin down what it is. Something about it just becomes clearer and subtler at the same time.As for the stories actual contents; it wasn't a sniffling-snotty-teary eyes kind of thing for me, but a calm buildup that reaches just below the meter's limit. The kind where the pain just aches dully in soft beats and the tears never actually make it to your eyes. It never reaches a forte. It just fades into hopeful, optimistic closure. Which is why even though the subject matter is quite somber- death & loss- I find these two short stories to be on the lighter side. The feelings expressed by all the characters are clear and pure and give the entire book an air of innocence. It might be a heavy topic, but it doesn't feel like muck or molasses or dirty things dragging you under; it's more like the feeling of someone pressing down on the shallow pain of an old scar. I'm much, much MUCH more attached to Hardboiled (the story about a girl who loved and left a girl who is now dead). I wasn't feeling it all too much at first, but after reading it twice over it's nestled it's way permanently into my heart as probably one of my favorite short stories ever. I can't say much about it except that I get washed over with a mix of wistfulness and peace and heartache just thinking about it. It's a quiet, simple piece that runs into bumps of ominous and panicky and outright creepy until it reaches the end and that eerie feeling of off-ness is set right and the world turns smooth again. It's a beautiful story about guilt and regret and nostalgia and acceptance. Hard Luck is alright but it's got nothin on Hardboiled, to be honest.It's not that I was disappointed by Yoshimoto in the first english reading but... yeah I was a little disappointed. My last word to everyone out there is to try not to judge too much on the wording and literal style and just siphon all your focus onto the actual images and concepts, because it's a shame to cast aside a lovely little book like this because of awkward translating.
I always feel a lack when I read translations. The words, so lovingly put in place, feel out of place. Sentences strung across the page, at times, fall short. They have communicated a message, transferred their intent, but lost some beauty along the way. It is as if once the writing is outside it's natural language, it is all business, focused on the task. Hardboiled and Hard Luck, two novellas by Japanese writer, Banana Yoshimoto, are two works of fiction that slide into the group of translations which may not do the writer justice.Both of the novellas revolve around loss and death. Each one has a young woman as the narrator who is reminiscing and saying goodbye to a loved one who has died. In "Hardboiled," the narrator remembers a former love, Chizuru, with whom she had a falling out, and whom later died. It takes place in the span of one night, in which the narrator is visited by a forlorn ghost in an old, countryside hotel. Through this encounter, the narrator learns of the ghost's story from the hotel manager. It's a sad tale of love and suicide. The ghost of Chizuru also visits the narrator and protects her.In "Hard Luck," a family is grieving the passing of their daughter, Kuni. Kuni has minimum brain function and is being kept alive through machines. Eventually, her brain shuts down and the family makes the decision to disconnect the machines. The family, and more specifically the narrator, fears their own connection with Kuni will be severed when she goes off life support. They spend hours visiting her in the hospital, because it feels as if part of her is still there. Kuni is a young woman who had everything before her, she was cheerful, in love, and to be married soon. Unable to work through the grief in a public manner, her fiancée retreats to his parent's home while she's dying. This action brings the narrator into contact with the fiancée's brother, Sakai, who visits the hospital in his brother's absence. A love, of sorts, begins. Sakai is an outsider; he teaches Tai-Chi, has a long hair, and is quiet in an inward way. The combination of death and love is too much though, and the characters resolve to explore the feelings in the future, after the pain of Kuni's death has diminished. The narrator will move to Italy for her studies, and Sakai vows to stay true to this feeling.In exploring loss, the novellas also play with time. How do we remember people? What makes us forget moments? Time bends and intertwines with memories as the narrators slip in and out of the present. The novellas go well together, because they act as before and after images of grief. In "Hardboiled," the narrator has moved on and forgotten about Chizuru, even though Chizuru was so important to her. "Hard Luck" though occurs while the pain is at its sharpest. The narrator is locked in her grief. Toward the end of the novella, after Kuni has died, the narrator is able to glimpse into the future. She can see that grief will not always dominate her life. There will be a point when her family can share in laughter again. There will be a time when she can fall into love. She will never be as tough as the narrator in "Hardboiled," but she will move on. We all will.
What do You think about Hardboiled And Hard Luck (2006)?
This edition of Hardboiled & Hard Luck, which is actually two novellas (some would even call them long short stories) rather than a single novel, is adorable. It's smaller and thinner than your average trade paperback, with a matte pastel cover. Holding it feels like holding a kitten or a newborn, something very special and delicate.That's a good metaphor for the book, as well. Everything Banana Yoshimoto writes is delicate. She holds human emotion in the palm of her hand and is so very careful with it, so loving. The characters in Hardboiled & Hard Luck are both unmistakably modern young Japanese women, both dealing with loss, a recurring theme in Banana's work. The subject matter could get heavy and depressing, but the stories are so carefully written that, instead, they come out touching and hopeful.I adore Banana Yoshimoto and this book, the first I've read in years, had made me remember why. I think I'll be pulling her novels off my shelf and re-reading them soon, just to be back in her world, listening to her voice.
—Jennifer Tatroe
Letteratura Giapponese, di nuovo ! Ormai lo sapete, mi piace! E ho letto tutto di Banana Yoshimoto. Non fatevi impressionare dal nome (d’arte), non c’è nulla di comico qui!H/H ovvero Hard Boiled e Hard luck. Due racconti lunghi che sembrano tratti da una sceneggiatura di un tipico film giapponese. Il tema, caro a Banana Yoshimoto, è la morte e la rinascita dalle proprie ceneri. L’intento era quello di dar vita a due racconti inquietanti, con presenze strane, fantasmi e sogni nei quali si mescolano presentimenti, ricordi e ansie represse.Hard Boiled: si svolge tutto nello spazio di una notte. Dopo una gita solitaria, una giovane raggiunge un paesino e stanca decide di fermarsi per la notte in un hotel. Al calar della notte una strana atmosfera, inquietante e malinconica le fa rivivere momenti del suo passato, incontra il fantasma di una donna che vive in quell’hotel da giorno del suo suicidio, ricorda la sua relazione con Chizuru, e la sua morte in un incendio…In Hard-luck la protagonista si reca tutti i giorni in ospedale a trovare la sorella Kuni, in coma a causa di un’improvvisa emorragia cerebrale. Qui incontra Sakai, fratello del fidanzato di Kuni. I due si innamorano. Ma le condizioni di Kuni peggiorano e lei muore. Il giorno dei funerali i due riescono a esprimere finalmente i loro sentimenti, ma il dolore è troppo forte per permettergli di vivere il loro amore, così si danno appuntamento per un prossimo futuro, in Italia, lontano da quel dolore accecante e dalla morte.Il problema è che, sebbene le atmosfere siano riuscite, la trama non è abbastanza forte, ovattata dalla malinconia che aleggia in entrambi i racconti. Certamente non è il lavoro migliore della Yoshimoto.https://paroleinfinite.wordpress.com/...
—Elena
Banana Yoshimoto might be emerging as one of my new favorite authors. I liked Hardboiled and Hard Luck better than The Lake, the last novel I read by Yoshimoto. Hardboiled and Hard Luck are two separate stories. They both have themes of loss and redemption with unnamed narrators.Hardboiled is about a young woman dealing with her former lover's suicide and encountering ghosts on her journey to a hotel. Hard Luck is about a young woman dealing with her sister's slow and eventual death from a cerebral hemorrhage.Both stories dealt with the emotional stasis a death of a loved one places a person in and the guilt and relief felt when a person can move on. I thoroughly enjoyed Yoshimoto's writing style. It's simplistic, crisp, and concise. Yet, her style isn't sterile because Hardboiled and Hard Luck invokes an emotional response. I will definitely will be reading more from her.
—Ash
