I am looking for short novels and novellas during the last days of the year. I was surprised to find a five-star in Sweet Bean Paste. It is a poignant and uplifting novel about the transformative power of friendship, the beauty of Japanese culture, and the resilience of the human spirit, making it a perfect fit for fans of character-driven fiction and literary explorations of hope and redemption.
2024 was a year that I read translated fiction, especially Japanese fiction. There were books that I wasn't fond of, but most of them were very well. One of those novels was Sweet Bean Paste, as it contains elements of friendship and found family. This short story (novella) has a lot of thought-provoking subjects that would be fantastic conversations for book clubs or buddy reads.
Pick up Sweet Bean Paste if you are willing to read about the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. I read the book as an ebook but want a physical copy for my bookshelves.