Pros
- Writing that flows and evokes a sense of melancholy and nostalgia
- Excellent translation from Jesse Kirkwood that manages to retain the atmosphere
- Stories are relaxing and fulfilling
Cons
- Drowsy can’t go inside for warmth
- Some breaks in the chapters or vignettes feel a bit abrupt, as if more is needed
- Perhaps a description of the detective work may be in order
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes Review
Hisashi Kashiwai and translator Jesse Kirkwood bring readers more of what they have come to love in The Kamogawa Food Detectives in this sequel The Restaurant of Lost Recipes.
One aspect of the two books that make them so endearing is the excellent translation by Jesse Kirkwood. Kirkwood manages to capture the essence of the writing–the pain of longing, the subtle melancholy, and the regrets one accumulates through age.
It’s the longing that drives these guests to the humble restaurant run by Nagare and his daughter Koishi. These guests aren’t there for food or entertainment. No, these tortured guests at the nondescript restaurant are there for a more pressing matter: to locate a food enjoyed long ago that continues to haunt them and prevent them from moving on.
In chapter titled, “Christmas Cake,” a couple searches for an answer and an heir for their century-old bakery. They believe the answer to their most pressing question can be found in a cake given as an offering at their son’s funeral, a cake that they both faintly remember. Koishi and Nagare take this request, and while readers are not informed about the couple’s ultimate decision, readers can make a fairly informed guess.
As Nagare reminds readers, it’s not up to him or Koishi what their clients do with the recipe or the food. Good or bad, these clients must tackle their ghosts in their own way, and it’s this advice that explains why readers don’t see the aftermath. Clients walk out of the restaurant, and the world of the book extends only as far as the train station stop. It’s this fairly restricted world in which the stories exist that make the series so charming and cozy. And this aspect also makes the story so relaxing despite its tinge of sadness.
In another story titled, “Ten-don,” Nagare’s detective services reunite an old singer with a favorite dish she enjoyed after her first and only hit song. It’s this dish, ten-don, that played a role in keeping her from her parents, and Nagare’s recreation of it allows the singer to finally come to terms with why she stayed away so long.
These short stories with concise writing do leave readers wanting a bit more background. How does Nagare go about his detective work? What are the backgrounds of these clients whose past encounters with food have left them so haunted? But if these questions are answered, perhaps the magic of the writing would be lost.
The Restaurant of Lost Recipes by Hisashi Kashiwai that continues the tale of a retired detective turned cook who reunites clients with their childhoods in order to allow them to move on with their lives. It’s a story of service, much like the guests who avail themselves of Nagare’s service, readers will walk away from the story satisfied, but with a tinge of sadness at a book that is all too short.
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