MINA'S MATCHBOX By Yoko Ogawa; translated by Stephen B. Snyder Fiction/Pantheon Books/ Paperback/240 pages/$28.95
Thus begins a year that will forever change her life.
From the moment she arrives, Tomoko is swept up in a family unit entirely unlike her own - a handsome and wealthy uncle, a German great-aunt, a mysterious yet dignified aunt, a fiercely loyal family housekeeper and Pochiko, the family's pygmy hippopotamus.
At the centre of it all is her asthmatic cousin Mina, whose condition is the primary worry of the family.
Precocious and imaginative, she carries a matchbox with her everywhere and slowly draws Tomoko into a world of whimsical storytelling and secret crushes as the two girls form a deep bond.
Early on, Tomoko describes her cousin: "Even when she was relatively healthy, if you listened carefully, you could hear a sound like the winter wind blowing at the back of her throat - a troubled sound, as though her body were bewildered at the prospect of having to support such a beautiful face."
この記事は The Straits Times の November 17, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Straits Times の November 17, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
The Straits Times launches Food In The Hood guide for best eats in Singapore
Hungry? Look no further than the new Food In The Hood guide by The Straits Times' food team.
Music goes on for Gravity Band at Brix nightclub
It is 9pm on a Wednesday night, the calm before the storm.
Live music with your cup of kopi
Musicians and DJs have been hitting hawker centres and coffee shops to liven up the atmosphere at eating haunts
Author Marilyn Choong believes communicating with the dead can help with grief
While grieving the death of her mother from cancer in June 2022, Singaporean author Marilyn Choong started receiving what she believed were signs from the afterlife — multi-colored feathers began to appear in her home.
Strong premise of a rental wife, pity the unfocused storytelling
The Trunk satirises marriage, yet lacks the bite to offer any illuminating insights about the institution
Enter a soft, warm home full of stories in Mina's Matchbox
On March 16, 1972, 12-year-old Tomoko takes the Sanyo Shinkansen line from Okayama City, Japan, to the coastal town of Ashiya to stay with her aunt's family.
Let's Talk About Death Who will inherit my digital assets?
Let's Talk About Death is a five-episode docuseries that follows several millennials and their loved ones as they navigate end-of-life planning, and it starts honest conversations about death and dying well.
Chef-restaurateur turns influencer at 49
When he decided to produce a supermarket series of TikTok videos on the best-tasting brands of pasta, olive oil, and butter, little did restaurant owner and chef Gero DiMaria expect it to kick-start his second career as a social media influencer at age 49.
VIRTUAL LIFT FOR TAEKWONDO
Martial art hopes to boost grassroots participation with electronic format
Bye, BIG TECH benefits
Singapore employees at tech giants are feeling the pinch after rounds of company cutbacks and layoffs
