The Premonition (哀しい予感, Kanashī yokan, lit. Sad premonition) is a 1988 novel by Banana Yoshimoto, published by Kadokawa. In 2023, an English translation by Asa Yoneda was published by Counterpoint.[1] It was longlisted for the PEN Translation Prize.[2]
 | |
| Author | Banana Yoshimoto |
|---|---|
| Translator | Asa Yoneda |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Literary fiction |
| Publisher | Kadokawa (Japanese) Counterpoint (English) |
Publication date | December 1, 1988 (Japanese) October 10, 2023 (English) |
| Publication place | Japan |
| Pages | 193 (Japanese) 144 (English) |
| ISBN | 978-4048725217 |
| Preceded by | キッチン ( Kitchen) |
| Followed by | つぐみ (Goodbye Tsugumi) |
Synopsis
editThe novel follows a 19-year-old middle-class girl, Yayoi, as she navigates her strange premonitions that grow stronger with age. Eventually, she decides to move in with her aunt, Yukino, as the result of her haunted feeling.
Critical reception
editKirkus Reviews lauded the novel's dreaminess and sense of haunting, stating "this melancholy bildungsroman acknowledges the way that leaving behind adolescence can evoke the bittersweet sensation of waking up from a strange and vivid dream."[3] Publishers Weekly praised the novel's efficiency, stating "While much of the plot hinges on Yayoi’s preternatural intuitions, each step is carefully plotted to slowly unearth the secrets of the past. No word is misspent in Yoshimoto’s taut tale."[4]
The New York Times noted "Yoshimoto bucks beautifully against convention" with regard to her women characters.[5] The Japan Times called it "sweet" but also "saccharine."[6] In comparison to Yoshimoto's same-year debut, Kitchen, The Spectator called the book "a similarly slender work and one that casts a delicate spell."[7] ArtReview stated "Yoshimoto has always had this extraordinary ability to convey the ephemeral natures of her main characters in plain yet diaphanous language".[8]
References
edit- ^ Yoshimoto, Banana (10 October 2023). The Premonition. Translated by Yoneda, Asa. Counterpoint. ISBN 978-1-64009-371-3.
- ^ "Announcing the 2024 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists". PEN America. 8 April 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "THE PREMONITION". Kirkus Reviews. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ "The Premonition by Banana Yoshimoto". Publishers Weekly. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ Binyam, Maya (8 October 2023). "In Banana Yoshimoto's 'The Premonition,' Visions of a Lost Family". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Ha, Thu-huong (14 October 2023). "Banana Yoshimoto's new book is a sickly sweet fantasy". The Japan Times. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Gaunt, Genevieve (3 October 2023). "Unequivocally Japanese: The Premonition, by Banana Yoshimoto, reviewed". The Spectator. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
- ^ "'The Premonition' by Banana Yoshimoto Review: Shine Especially Bright". ArtReview. Retrieved 31 October 2024.