"A beautiful translation . . . Yoshimoto deploys a magically Japanese
light touch to emotionally and existentially tough subject matter:
domestic disarray, loneliness, identity issues, lovesickness . . . [a]
nimble narrative." ―ELLE
In Moshi Moshi, Yoshie's much-loved musician father has died in a
suicide pact with an unknown woman. It is only when Yoshie and her
mother move to Shimokitazawa, a traditional Tokyo neighborhood of narrow
streets, quirky shops, and friendly residents that they can finally
start to put their painful past behind them. However, despite their
attempts to move forward, Yoshie is haunted by nightmares in which her
father is looking for the phone he left behind on the day he died, or on
which she is trying--unsuccessfully--to call him. Is her dead father
trying to communicate a message to her through these dreams?
With the lightness of touch and surreal detachment that are the
hallmarks of her writing, Banana Yoshimoto turns a potential tragedy
into a poignant coming-of-age ghost story and a life-affirming homage to
the healing powers of community, food, and family.