I really enjoyed parts of this and was completely enraptured by Banana Yoshimoto’s writing. I think where I struggled was I don’t typically read short story collections and would have preferred deeper dives into the stories — basically, I just wanted more because it was just so well done! The female characters were wonderfully fleshed out. House of Ghosts was probably my favorite, though Mama! was also wonderful.

"Dead-End Memories", by Banana Yoshimoto, translated from Japanese by Asa Yoneda, is a collection of five short stories, originally published in 2003. The stories all follow women characters enveloped in loneliness. They each encounter life changing situations and must come to terms with events out of their control.

My favorite and most memorable story from the collection is "Mama!". The story follows an office worker who accidently eats a dish of poisoned curry intended for someone else in the office. Other stories that stuck with me were "House of Ghosts", a story about a couple in an apartment haunted by ghosts, and "Tomo-chan's Happiness", a story about a sexual abuse survivor finding love and connection in her adult life.

The narration, performed by Kathleen Li, felt very soothing. It matched the pace of the stories, and the narrator brought to life the right amount of emotion for each story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the Audio ARC. All opinions are my own. "Dead-End Memories" has been available to listen to since September 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and Counterpoint Publishing for access to the audiobook of Dead-End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto in exchange for an honest review.

Originally published in Japan in 2003, Yoshimoto's magical realist writing is enchanting and reminds us of some of the simple pleasures of being human.

This is a short collection of 3 stories. Personally, my favorite was the first and titular story, Dead End Memories. I found myself captured by the story and identifying with the main character.

I will say, I don't think I got the full enjoyment out of this book as I could have, as there was an issue with the audiobook file I received and the second story in the collection was cut short.

If you're looking to expand your fictional palette into the mildly fantastical, I recommend Dead End Memories.

This was my first book by Yoshimoto and it won't be my last. I loved her ethereal style and the simplicity of her voice.

I really enjoyed this short story collection, it dealt with women finding their place in the world. Sometimes the stories were tough to read, but overall enjoyable. I would seek out more of the author's writing.

What an incredibly unique group of stories! Banana Yoshimoto captured my attention from the outset, with Dead-End Memories. Her lyrical and engaging prose is simply lovely.

Each of the women in the stories are facing life changing events. Mainly they're centered around relationships with men, and finding their own personal strength. My favorite is the one where the office works gets poisoned by curry intended for another victim. The way this character copes with the tragedy is quite interesting.

As often happens, when something is translated there are a few odd words here and there. It seemed to me that Kathleen Li's narration emphasized this. Otherwise, her melodic voice is a great fit for the ladies in these tales.

My copy of the recording had a slight hiccup where it skipped about 90% of one of the stories. Otherwise, the stories are not super exciting, but interesting and introspective.

I quite enjoyed this book's characters and pacing. It dealt with even the toughest of subjects with a softness and grace that I really enjoyed. Bittersweet tales of women finding their place in the world.

I did find the writing style a bit bland, but it was very readable anyway.

This short story collection was first published in Japan in 2003, and is now newly released in English translation by Asa Yoneda published by Counterpoint press. An underlying theme is the stories are about women they have been betrayed or deceived, and how they reconcile with their past. Quietly moving and beautiful, would recommend for fans of Japanese fiction.

I was given an early copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.This is so beautifully written and narrated. One story findsan elder couple not knowing they have passed on. They continue to live their lives like normal only they aren’t normal they are ghosts of their former selves, the main character finds the ghosts that appear in her house very poignant and it truly is. The elder woman has made soup for her husband.. Love doesn’t get more basic than this. Then there is the girl who believes she has found love they live in a small town everyone knows each other they become engaged she talks of their future life. We find out those are her dreams. He had his own dreams but wasn’t forthcoming about them. I enjoyed this last story the most. A story of lost love and learning how to come out on the other side standing tall. These stories are very beautifully written. I don’t know any other words to make you want to read it but this is a must read. Some books can leave you feeling weighed down. This one is light and refreshing to hear sadness turned on its heel. It’s like when the callous pain on your heart has been torn open so you can feel once again and you can go home once again free to fall in love once more. I loved this book so much. Yes I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to #NetGalley, #BananaYoshimoto, #RecordedBooks, #Dead-EndMemories. for giving me the opportunity to read early.

I knew nothing about this author or this book, but the cover called to me and so I requested the audio version of this book from Netgalley. And then, I was simply blown away...

This is a collection of 5 short stories with a common theme... they are all lonely women. The stories at times discomforting... and more than a bit strange... but despite that, I could not stop listening. I needed to know where the stories would go... and they left me with a bit of hope and the promise of something better. They are stories that require some work for you to get through... you must listen carefully and sadly, I found the audiobook narration, by Kathleen Li, a bit stilted at times - making it difficult to pay attention. I had to go back and listen to bits several times. Thus, I think this book would be better read with your eyes... and that was the reason this book did not get 5-stars from me.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for the copy of the audiobook.

Unfortunately I could not get past the narrator for this book. It was not engaging and made it hard to follow along with the story despite it sounding like an interesting premise.

Dead-End Memories by Banana Yoshimoto follows five short stories on five different women. These five different women are in different stages of their lives experiencing different things. There are ghosts, infidelity, a life threatening situation. Through all these different stories all of these women are reflecting the events that have led them to where they are. Although some of the stories deal with serious situations they are ultimately are very hopeful. They are a reminder of the meaning of life. I really enjoyed listening to this narration. The writing is simple and concise. My favorite short story was “The House of Ghosts”. I think if your are interested in Japanese Literature or like reading short story collections this is the a great choice to pick up. 3.75⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to listen to and review the audiobook version of this fantastic book. What a shame it took almost twenty years for it to be translated! I've enjoyed Yoshimoto's work previously, but for me this was a cut above the rest. The characters in each story were so well-crafted that rich that they could easily have carried the weight of a full novel. There is so much heart here. I absolutely loved the book, and the audio recording was wonderful too.

I will feature this book on my blog on September 10.

Kitchen is one of my favorite books and I was looking forward to diving into Yoshimoto's newest short story collection. Unfortunately, there is a flatness to the stories here (something lost in translation, potentially) that kept me at a distance. And, I would not recommend the audiobook as the narrator's inflection and cadence were off and made it difficult to be fully immersed.

I had a rollercoaster ride experience reading this book. I do think it is, in its concept, something I enjoy, a type of introspective accounting through small personal stories. Unfortunately, and I'm not sure if this is a problem with the translation or with the author, there is an awkwardness to the prose that is a little off-putting. I also think there is very little nuance in the presentation of the musings leaving the reader with a feeling of being told what to think instead of having come up with conclusions on your own.

The audio narrator is not actually monotone but has a weird cadence to the reading that only serves to accentuate the awkward text (maybe this is by design, but I didn't enjoy it). The dialogue felt stiff and unrealistic.

I still gave it high marks for the ideas which I think were good even if the delivery was poorly executed.

Banana Yoshimoto never fails to deliver on writing beautifully ordinary, nostalgic characters, and those within Dead-End Memories are no different. The women portrayed in the five stories have all faced a hardship of some kind. What makes me return to this author is her way of offering a ray of hope even when circumstances are tough. This was a wonderful collection, and it would serve as a great introduction into Yoshimoto's writing. I was also impressed with the narrator of this audiobook; she captured the spirit and mood of the characters effortlessly.