Sweet bean paste

Sweet Bean Paste is a charming story of friendship, love, and loneliness in contemporary Japan.

Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record, reaches for alcohol too often, and his dream of becoming a writer has long since faded. He spends his days in a small shop where he sells dorayaki – Japanese pancakes filled with sweet bean paste. His life is monotonous, and only the blooming cherry blossoms remind him of the passing of time.

But everything changes when Tokue, an old woman with gnarled fingers and a troubling past, enters his life. Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted, and she begins to initiate him into the secrets of her art. As their friendship blossoms, social pressures emerge that cannot be ignored, and Tokue's dark secret is revealed, bringing with it devastating consequences.

Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the weight of the past and the redemptive power of friendship. Durian Sukegawa's work, with its beautiful language, appeals to readers all over the world.