In Banana Yoshimoto¡¯s ¡°The Premonition,¡± a character describes her childhood as a fairy tale. Another, while wandering at night with her brother, likens the two of them to Hansel and Gretel. Indeed, a childlike simplicity pervades the book, and it is sweet ¡ª until it becomes saccharine.
The novel was originally published in 1988 by writer Mahoko Yoshimoto, under her now well-known pseudonym. This month, it was released in English with translation by Asa Yoneda. The story¡¯s protagonist is Yayoi, a 19-year-old girl with a happy nuclear family. Yet she¡¯s haunted by visions she can¡¯t explain, which lead her to unravel big family secrets. She goes to her aunt, Yukino, an eccentric young piano teacher, to seek out answers. When Yukino goes missing, Yayoi¡¯s younger brother, Tetsuo, aids the search as the facts of their past come to light.
The characters move about in a dream-like state, but they never seem to transcend the fairy tale they live in. The novel takes a few steps toward more complex questions and ideas, but each trail goes cold as the story ultimately opts for sentimentality.
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