Asleep (review)
by Banana Yoshimoto
In true Yoshimoto style, the book contains three stories by the author, all unified by the same common denominator: Sleep.
"Deep Sleep," "Night Travelers," and "An Experience" are the three story titles. The first, which also gives the book its title, is simply perfect and encompasses themes dear to the author that we find in almost all her works: these are the themes of the paranormal, death, and the rebirth of her protagonists.
In this first story, Terako, the main protagonist, manages to reconcile with herself and find the desire, or rather the right strength, to surrender to love—a somewhat restrained and unique love that she experiences with her significant other.
In the second story, the protagonists are three women (a sister and two ex-girlfriends) and the common factor in their lives is the death of a loved one. Here, too, the theme of death emerges, which, as mentioned above, permeates all the plots narrated by Yoshimoto. However, it is precisely the sharing of that common grief that helps the three women to return to life.
The last story, "An Experience," touches on the second theme dear to the author: that of the paranormal. Because paranormal is the story experienced by the protagonist. A singular experience indeed, which leads her to see a deceased girl, Haru. Pushed by the boy to believe in this idea and the alcohol she abuses, the protagonist will then try to make contact with her...
