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| Ms Ice Sandwich |
A boy is obsessed with a woman who sells sandwiches. He goes to the supermarket almost every day, just so he can look at her face. She is beautiful to him, and he calls her "Ms Ice Sandwich", and endlessly draws her portrait.
But the boy's friend hears about this hesitant adoration, and suddenly everything changes. His visits to Ms Ice Sandwich stop, and with them the last hopes of his childhood.
A moving and surprisingly funny tale of growing up and learning how to lose, Ms Ice Sandwich is Mieko Kawakami at her very best.
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Author : Mieko Kawakami
Paperback Edition
Pages : 92
First Published : 2013
Language : English
Origin Language : Japanese
I have this strange addiction to Japan Literature. Why i called it is strange? because Japan literature is 'strange', how they describe what surrounding from the weather, colors, animals, smells until what really inside the protagonist's mind. I always find it marvelous every time I finish Japan lit.
That's why every time i went to Japan, I spare my time to go to Kinokuniya - whenever it's located just to find English Book corner. The most interest thing, they have English book for Japanese author aisle. I can spend an hour just to read every blurb of each book in there.
I found Ms.Ice Sandwich is just because of the colorful cover. I did not checked Goodreads for the rating, I read the blurbs and decided to buy it.
Ms. Ice Sandwich supposedly light reading. A story about small boy whom enchanted by a woman behind the ice cream bar at the convenience store near to his house. He met her for the first time on summer, together with his mother.
The woman behind the counter is very interesting, she had a set of big eyes that drawn the boy's curiosity.
Eventually, the boy did not wait for his mother to come to the ice cream counter. He bought by his self and enjoyed every minute spent staring of her big eyes.
The boy is living with her single mother in a house belong to his sick grandmother. His father was died and made his mother busy living to earn monies.
When the summer break ended, the boy back to his routines to go to school. His summer infatuation seems over, he was busy with his friends, including Tutti, a girl that live only with his father.
The boy used to be very close to the grand mother. She spoiled her with attention and gifts, but she was dying. Lying helplessly, listen to the boy's chatter every night.
The boy, despite his young age, can feel the hollow in his heart. He missed his grandmother, and every time his mother looks so busy with her life, his heart was sinking.
Until one day, he heard about how people talk bad about ms. Ice Sandwich. About her attitude and strange behavior. The boy want to talk about her with his grandmother, but she cannot respond. He want to talk about Tutti, but Tutti like to talking about something else. He's frustrated, but didn't know why or how.
Like i said, it should be a light reading. The diction, language is a perspective of innocent, young boy. His life should be simple and lot of happiness, but he cannot achieve both in his house. And it should be warm reading because it can bring back our memories when we are get infatuation at very young age.
But deeper than the surface, this is a story about how to mend the loneliness and especially, how to say good bye.
It is not a sad story or melancholic. In fact, we can learn about a life wisdom from young boy in this book. Additionally, this book can bring your memories back to your innocent days in childhood.
It may only 96 pages, but the feeling after you read it, it is like 600 pages of read.
Once again, Japanese literature can capture the essence of human's feeling!
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