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Ms Ice Sandwich
A quixotic and funny tale about first love – from the Akutagawa Prize-winning author.
Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her. He is in awe of her aloofness, her skill at slipping sandwiches into bags, and, most electric of all, her ice-blue eyelids. Every day he is drawn to the supermarket just to watch her in action. But life has a way of interfering – there is his mother, forever distracted, who can tell the fortunes of women; his grandmother, silently dying, who listens to his heart; and his classmate, Tutti, no stranger to pain, who shares her private thrilling world with him.
Tender, warm, yet unsentimental, Ms Ice Sandwich is a story about new starts, parents who have departed, and the importance of saying goodbye.
Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her. He is in awe of her aloofness, her skill at slipping sandwiches into bags, and, most electric of all, her ice-blue eyelids. Every day he is drawn to the supermarket just to watch her in action. But life has a way of interfering – there is his mother, forever distracted, who can tell the fortunes of women; his grandmother, silently dying, who listens to his heart; and his classmate, Tutti, no stranger to pain, who shares her private thrilling world with him.
Tender, warm, yet unsentimental, Ms Ice Sandwich is a story about new starts, parents who have departed, and the importance of saying goodbye.
92 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2013
About the author
Mieko Kawakami
58 books6,880 followersMieko Kawakami (川上未映子, born in August 29, 1976) is a Japanese singer and writer from Osaka.
She was awarded the 138th Akutagawa Prize for promising new writers of serious fiction (2007) for her novel Chichi to Ran (乳と卵) (Breasts and Eggs).
Kawakami has released three albums and three singles as a singer.
She was awarded the 138th Akutagawa Prize for promising new writers of serious fiction (2007) for her novel Chichi to Ran (乳と卵) (Breasts and Eggs).
Kawakami has released three albums and three singles as a singer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,025 reviews
July 8, 2024
The cusp of adolescence is a tumultuous time when everything you thought you understood about life, yourself and others is suddenly rent asunder. There is a paradigm shift in all your relationships and you clamour to hold on and ride the changes into what you hope is a more mature You. Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami (beautifully translated by Louise Heal Kawai) has a remarkable grasp on these volatile moments that is prodigously told through the perspective of a young boy grappling with these changes. This is such a well crafted novella that navigates an emotional awakening in a boy dealing with change, processing information that contrasts with his own feelings as well as a charming accounting of his childhood fascination with a woman who works at the local convenience store. Ms Ice Sandwich is blissfully succinct while managing to be a highly nuanced and textured adolescent narrative that perfectly captures the chaos of growing up and entering a new awareness to the complexity of being human.
This little gem of a novella covers a lot of emotional territory and does all of it to near perfection. Like life, it is a cacaphony of events that the narrator is just trying to get through, often unsure what is expected of him. At the heart of the story are the women in his life: his mother, with whom he is ‘getting used to [her] not paying attention’, his dying grandmother, his hot and cold friendship with a girl named Tutti (accidentally nicknamed this amongst their peers when he called her out once for farting in class), and, of course, his fascination with Ms Ice Sandwich. Ms Ice Sandwich (presumably early 20s) works the sandwich counter at the local convenience store and the narrator has such a fixation with her and her eyes that he stops there every day to buy an egg sandwich just to watch how deftly she places it in a sandwich bag. Her eyes are enormous, he says and compares them to illustrations of big-eyed dogs in a faintly remembered adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Tinderbox, and she wears blue eye makeup that reminds him of the ice cream sandwiches sold there. This very quirky and endearing novella follows him trying to negotiate his life around these women and the changes of relationship with them that are inevitably taking place.
Something that really struck me about Ms Ice Sandwich was the way it thrust me back into the painfully awkward moments of self-revelation about existing in a larger society. I remember those moments when something such as, say, when I discovered that a band I enjoyed listening to with my Dad was considered very uncool by older classmates I wanted to impress and the discomfort of trying to process contradictory feelings. Or discovering that someone might dislike a friend or that having a crush on a certain person would get you mocked by your peers. This is an age where you suddenly sense the world is not a idyllic utopia but can’t quite put your finger on why not and are left to scramble and make sense of it all as innocence crumbles around you.
This passage into a new maturity is difficult for most, especially when you are at an age when you don’t quite have the emotional language or experience to productively process it. Kawakami renders these moments perfectly, which is no small achievement. The translation here is certainly deserving of endless praise as well with the voice coming through so clear and fluid.
Having the narrative told through the perspective of the young boy opens a lot of possibilities to examine his emotional currents. This is always a risky undertaking as sounding false will spoil the book no matter how good the plot is and trying to capture an adolescent train of thought is as elusive as trying to follow a story a child of that age tries to tell you (I have a ten year old, trust me). Kawakami manages to conduct chaos here, keeping an astonishing control over a narrative composed of a deluge of thoughts. His thoughts ramble and shift, but are always carefully steered towards a forward understanding and never drift into nonsense or waywardness. It’s honestly amazing how well she handles this because it feels so authentic to the way a child will ramble as if they, themselves, are still trying to understand what it is they are getting at without the narrative style feeling like a gimmick all the while remaining cohesive.
Another aspect that really works is the way that the narrator feels all these feelings and thoughts but Kawakami details the frustration in attempting to take the helm of your own emotions when you still lack the emotional language and maturity that serves as a compass to express yourself to others. He has the impressions of it all in his head but when pressed to doing so he ‘can’t think of any way to respond,’ and when he tries he tends to ‘get stuck’ and ‘can’t finish the sentence.’ These frustrations amalgamate and create friction in his relationships, especially with Tutti from whom he so desperately wants to be understood. This is particularly because she seems to like him and they both share a common bond of the loss of a parent at a young age. Frustrated by his inability to express himself verbally, the narrator does find solace in art, which is hinted at as being an outlet he may find success within in the future.
With Tutti there is also an excellent depiction of an awakening to people with more mature lifestyles than your own. Myself being a fairly timid child that had no inclination to leave behind some of my more childish tastes in games, hobbies and movies around this age, I deeply felt his discomfort when he shows up for a movie night at Tutti’s house and she puts on the Al Pacino film Heat. She is fascinated by the gunfights, which he finds to be overly violent and her glee makes him uncomfortable. There is something brilliant in the way Kawakami subtly juxtaposes sexual awakenings with violence and discomfort, as when he watches Tutti’s perfectly practiced reenactment of the gunfight scene, wanting to cry and demand she stop but also finds himself breathless ‘kneeling on the sofa with both my hands over my chest, my fingers tightly locked together.’ This scene is so rife with sexual tension without ever touching upon sexuality or sexual language and is just a masterpiece of small fiction.
Kawakami also has an excellent handle on how change is processed at this period of life. The narrator is watching his old life mold itself into a new life and feels the lack of stability in the metamorphosis. For starters, he lives with his Grandma who was once a large part of his life but now is squeezing out the last ounces of life mostly asleep in her chair. ‘Are these the same Grandma’ he thinks, remembering all his fond memories of a lively Grandmother now close to death.
The uncertainty of what constitutes the impression on should have on a world in flux makes up much of this little book. Returning to Ms Ice Sandwich, he finds that his amorous feelings for her are not shared by most people around him. There is the angry customer at the store who ‘doesn’t like Ms Ice Sandwich’s attitude’ and screams at her for having ‘a painted monster face’ that ‘shouldn’t be allowed out in public’ or his classmates who mock her for having ‘botched surgery’ and that ‘her life is over. She’s a freak.’ Their impressions of her is incongruous with his own feelings, and the reader gets a sense of the floor giving way as our own mental image of her as simply someone with lovely large eyes is bombarded with new descriptions of her eyes as the ‘freakish’ consequences of a botched plastic surgery treatment. The narrator has a bit of a crisis here, hurt, offended and unsure what to feel when discovering that something and someone he cherished for beauty is seen as so offensive to others all the while lacking the emotional linguistics to make a healthy assessment of it. Ultimately, he must learn that image and looks are not what make a person and this is his first foray into the cruel and unjust standards enforced in a patriarchial society.
Luckily, he has his art and a good heart. This is a breathtakingly well-done novella that knows its strengths and limits. This is an excellent depiction of childhood and all its chaotic beauty that has all the heart and quirkyness to really dig into the soul of the reader and make them empathize and reconsider their own experiences. The brilliant work of translator Louise Heal Kawai is on full diplay too, as she so eloquently retains a fluidity to the prose that feels so natural. Furthermore, Kawakami shows the possibilities of crafting a feminist novella told through the perspective of a young boy, which reminds us that feminism is not just something for women but a human goal overall. Fun, funny, and endlessly applaudable, Ms Ice Sandwich is a massive success.
4.75/5
'There's the sound of someone breathing, that's what I'm listening to. Goodbye. The stars are setting, and in their last breath somebody tells me goodbye. Someone is saying goodbye, and now I can't move at all, and all I can do is hold my breath, and silently listen to the final sound, nothing to do but listen silently to the very last echo of that sound'
This little gem of a novella covers a lot of emotional territory and does all of it to near perfection. Like life, it is a cacaphony of events that the narrator is just trying to get through, often unsure what is expected of him. At the heart of the story are the women in his life: his mother, with whom he is ‘getting used to [her] not paying attention’, his dying grandmother, his hot and cold friendship with a girl named Tutti (accidentally nicknamed this amongst their peers when he called her out once for farting in class), and, of course, his fascination with Ms Ice Sandwich. Ms Ice Sandwich (presumably early 20s) works the sandwich counter at the local convenience store and the narrator has such a fixation with her and her eyes that he stops there every day to buy an egg sandwich just to watch how deftly she places it in a sandwich bag. Her eyes are enormous, he says and compares them to illustrations of big-eyed dogs in a faintly remembered adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story The Tinderbox, and she wears blue eye makeup that reminds him of the ice cream sandwiches sold there. This very quirky and endearing novella follows him trying to negotiate his life around these women and the changes of relationship with them that are inevitably taking place.
Something that really struck me about Ms Ice Sandwich was the way it thrust me back into the painfully awkward moments of self-revelation about existing in a larger society. I remember those moments when something such as, say, when I discovered that a band I enjoyed listening to with my Dad was considered very uncool by older classmates I wanted to impress and the discomfort of trying to process contradictory feelings. Or discovering that someone might dislike a friend or that having a crush on a certain person would get you mocked by your peers. This is an age where you suddenly sense the world is not a idyllic utopia but can’t quite put your finger on why not and are left to scramble and make sense of it all as innocence crumbles around you.
‘I don’t know exactly what it is, but I do know that somewhere in this town there is something bad, and that those long shadows creeping up in the dark have come to tell me about it.’
This passage into a new maturity is difficult for most, especially when you are at an age when you don’t quite have the emotional language or experience to productively process it. Kawakami renders these moments perfectly, which is no small achievement. The translation here is certainly deserving of endless praise as well with the voice coming through so clear and fluid.
Having the narrative told through the perspective of the young boy opens a lot of possibilities to examine his emotional currents. This is always a risky undertaking as sounding false will spoil the book no matter how good the plot is and trying to capture an adolescent train of thought is as elusive as trying to follow a story a child of that age tries to tell you (I have a ten year old, trust me). Kawakami manages to conduct chaos here, keeping an astonishing control over a narrative composed of a deluge of thoughts. His thoughts ramble and shift, but are always carefully steered towards a forward understanding and never drift into nonsense or waywardness. It’s honestly amazing how well she handles this because it feels so authentic to the way a child will ramble as if they, themselves, are still trying to understand what it is they are getting at without the narrative style feeling like a gimmick all the while remaining cohesive.
Another aspect that really works is the way that the narrator feels all these feelings and thoughts but Kawakami details the frustration in attempting to take the helm of your own emotions when you still lack the emotional language and maturity that serves as a compass to express yourself to others. He has the impressions of it all in his head but when pressed to doing so he ‘can’t think of any way to respond,’ and when he tries he tends to ‘get stuck’ and ‘can’t finish the sentence.’ These frustrations amalgamate and create friction in his relationships, especially with Tutti from whom he so desperately wants to be understood. This is particularly because she seems to like him and they both share a common bond of the loss of a parent at a young age. Frustrated by his inability to express himself verbally, the narrator does find solace in art, which is hinted at as being an outlet he may find success within in the future.
With Tutti there is also an excellent depiction of an awakening to people with more mature lifestyles than your own. Myself being a fairly timid child that had no inclination to leave behind some of my more childish tastes in games, hobbies and movies around this age, I deeply felt his discomfort when he shows up for a movie night at Tutti’s house and she puts on the Al Pacino film Heat. She is fascinated by the gunfights, which he finds to be overly violent and her glee makes him uncomfortable. There is something brilliant in the way Kawakami subtly juxtaposes sexual awakenings with violence and discomfort, as when he watches Tutti’s perfectly practiced reenactment of the gunfight scene, wanting to cry and demand she stop but also finds himself breathless ‘kneeling on the sofa with both my hands over my chest, my fingers tightly locked together.’ This scene is so rife with sexual tension without ever touching upon sexuality or sexual language and is just a masterpiece of small fiction.
Kawakami also has an excellent handle on how change is processed at this period of life. The narrator is watching his old life mold itself into a new life and feels the lack of stability in the metamorphosis. For starters, he lives with his Grandma who was once a large part of his life but now is squeezing out the last ounces of life mostly asleep in her chair. ‘Are these the same Grandma’ he thinks, remembering all his fond memories of a lively Grandmother now close to death.
‘Those Grandmas and this Grandma. The Grandmas I have in my head or the Grandma lying here with her eyes closed, quietly sleeping. Which is the real Grandma?’
The uncertainty of what constitutes the impression on should have on a world in flux makes up much of this little book. Returning to Ms Ice Sandwich, he finds that his amorous feelings for her are not shared by most people around him. There is the angry customer at the store who ‘doesn’t like Ms Ice Sandwich’s attitude’ and screams at her for having ‘a painted monster face’ that ‘shouldn’t be allowed out in public’ or his classmates who mock her for having ‘botched surgery’ and that ‘her life is over. She’s a freak.’ Their impressions of her is incongruous with his own feelings, and the reader gets a sense of the floor giving way as our own mental image of her as simply someone with lovely large eyes is bombarded with new descriptions of her eyes as the ‘freakish’ consequences of a botched plastic surgery treatment. The narrator has a bit of a crisis here, hurt, offended and unsure what to feel when discovering that something and someone he cherished for beauty is seen as so offensive to others all the while lacking the emotional linguistics to make a healthy assessment of it. Ultimately, he must learn that image and looks are not what make a person and this is his first foray into the cruel and unjust standards enforced in a patriarchial society.
Luckily, he has his art and a good heart. This is a breathtakingly well-done novella that knows its strengths and limits. This is an excellent depiction of childhood and all its chaotic beauty that has all the heart and quirkyness to really dig into the soul of the reader and make them empathize and reconsider their own experiences. The brilliant work of translator Louise Heal Kawai is on full diplay too, as she so eloquently retains a fluidity to the prose that feels so natural. Furthermore, Kawakami shows the possibilities of crafting a feminist novella told through the perspective of a young boy, which reminds us that feminism is not just something for women but a human goal overall. Fun, funny, and endlessly applaudable, Ms Ice Sandwich is a massive success.
4.75/5
'There's the sound of someone breathing, that's what I'm listening to. Goodbye. The stars are setting, and in their last breath somebody tells me goodbye. Someone is saying goodbye, and now I can't move at all, and all I can do is hold my breath, and silently listen to the final sound, nothing to do but listen silently to the very last echo of that sound'
July 1, 2019
I picked up this novella because I am trying to read more Japanese literature. I found out I apparently like it very much, since I seem to enjoy every book I choose. This one is a short, interesting story about a little boy who has a crush on a supermarket employee, and visits the store every day to see her. Of course, he's young and shy and never finds the courage to talk to her.
The story is narrated from the perspective of the boy, and one of my favourite things about this book is the ability of the author to reproduce the mind and thoughts of a gifted child. It reminded me of a mixture between The perks of being a wallflower and Convenience store woman. I also liked very much the character of Ms Ice Sandwhich herself. The protagonist, who's different from the other kids and subconsciously feels it, likes her because she is also different: she has an "unconventional beauty", and I found this very sweet and touching.
I am a fan of the novella format, especially in contemporary genres; for me, it is the perfect length to tell a story because it gives time to the author to develop a full plot, but also keep it concise.
As I find often with Japanese literature, the pace and character of the book feels very different from western literature: it has a kind of indefinite feeling to it, like the question: "yes, but what is the point?" doesn't even make sense. There is no point in the book or, rather, the book is the point. Very interesting slice of life.
The story is narrated from the perspective of the boy, and one of my favourite things about this book is the ability of the author to reproduce the mind and thoughts of a gifted child. It reminded me of a mixture between The perks of being a wallflower and Convenience store woman. I also liked very much the character of Ms Ice Sandwhich herself. The protagonist, who's different from the other kids and subconsciously feels it, likes her because she is also different: she has an "unconventional beauty", and I found this very sweet and touching.
I am a fan of the novella format, especially in contemporary genres; for me, it is the perfect length to tell a story because it gives time to the author to develop a full plot, but also keep it concise.
As I find often with Japanese literature, the pace and character of the book feels very different from western literature: it has a kind of indefinite feeling to it, like the question: "yes, but what is the point?" doesn't even make sense. There is no point in the book or, rather, the book is the point. Very interesting slice of life.
November 5, 2022
[Editied for typos, clarity 11/5/22]
This is a good story, a novella, that I’m tempted to call ‘cute.’ It’s a story of a young Japanese boy, grade school age, who essentially has a crush on a young woman who works in a deli selling sandwiches.
The boy is fascinated by the woman’s distinctive large eyes, but we learn later that he is puzzled by conversations he hears that she may have had plastic surgery or even facial reconstruction.
For the remainder of this review, I’ll say CONTAINS SPOILERS:
There is no father present and the boy gets limited attention from his mother who is always on her cell phone or computer or in discussion with clients. Women come to their house for astrology readings and fortune-telling with cards.
His grandmother also lives in the house. She is in a vegetative state, yet he talks to her and tells her all his secrets. The boy is a talented artist for his age.
He also makes friends with a girl in his class who has no mother. She’s more mature than he is and she guides him in how he should interact with the sandwich lady. (He has never spoken with the sandwich lady; he just goes there to buy sandwiches weekly during the school year and daily in the summer.)
I liked the story, although as usual in stories where a young child is the focus, the author puts deeper philosophical thoughts in the boy’s mind than we think is realistic for that age.
I actually selected this book by mistake, confusing two authors. There are two (at least) women authors in Japan who share the name Kawakami. One is Hiromi (b. 1958) and I previously enjoyed her book Strange Weather in Tokyo.
This current review is of a novella by Mieko Kawakami, b. 1976, who is becoming a prolific author with 20-or-so books. About a half-dozen are available in English, and her best-known ones in English are Breasts and Eggs and Heaven.
Photo of a Japanese food store from insider.com
The author from 66.media.tumblr.com
This is a good story, a novella, that I’m tempted to call ‘cute.’ It’s a story of a young Japanese boy, grade school age, who essentially has a crush on a young woman who works in a deli selling sandwiches.
The boy is fascinated by the woman’s distinctive large eyes, but we learn later that he is puzzled by conversations he hears that she may have had plastic surgery or even facial reconstruction.
For the remainder of this review, I’ll say CONTAINS SPOILERS:
There is no father present and the boy gets limited attention from his mother who is always on her cell phone or computer or in discussion with clients. Women come to their house for astrology readings and fortune-telling with cards.
His grandmother also lives in the house. She is in a vegetative state, yet he talks to her and tells her all his secrets. The boy is a talented artist for his age.
He also makes friends with a girl in his class who has no mother. She’s more mature than he is and she guides him in how he should interact with the sandwich lady. (He has never spoken with the sandwich lady; he just goes there to buy sandwiches weekly during the school year and daily in the summer.)
I liked the story, although as usual in stories where a young child is the focus, the author puts deeper philosophical thoughts in the boy’s mind than we think is realistic for that age.
I actually selected this book by mistake, confusing two authors. There are two (at least) women authors in Japan who share the name Kawakami. One is Hiromi (b. 1958) and I previously enjoyed her book Strange Weather in Tokyo.
This current review is of a novella by Mieko Kawakami, b. 1976, who is becoming a prolific author with 20-or-so books. About a half-dozen are available in English, and her best-known ones in English are Breasts and Eggs and Heaven.
Photo of a Japanese food store from insider.com
The author from 66.media.tumblr.com
June 29, 2022
growing up, am i right.
i have mixed feelings on books from the perspective of a child (children have a tendency to be annoying, which is their right, and the only thing more annoying than them is a weird adult doing a long saccharine literary impression of them for several hundred pages), but this was a thoughtful look at coming of age.
honestly i wish it was longer! in this glimpse (and i do mean glimpse, as this is like 7 pages long) we got very little of our protagonist's mother or his grandmother, or his life really at all, but maybe that was the point.
and as far as criticisms go, "i wish it was longer" is not a bad one.
bottom line: novellas gonna novella.
------------------------
currently-reading updates
"Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her"
this is goals.
------------
reading books by asian authors for aapi month!
book 1: kim jiyoung, born 1982
book 2: siren queen
book 3: the heart principle
book 4: n.p.
book 5: the hole
book 6: set on you
book 7: disorientation
book 8: parade
book 9: if i had your face
book 10: joan is okay
book 11: strange weather in tokyo
book 12: sarong party girls
book 13: the wind-up bird chronicle
book 14: portrait of a thief
book 15: sophie go's lonely hearts club
book 16: chemistry
book 17: heaven
book 18: the atlas six
book 19: the remains of the day
book 20: is everyone hanging out without me? and other concerns
book 21: why not me?
book 22: when the tiger came down the mountain
book 23: the lies we tell
book 24: to paradise
book 25: pachinko
book 26: you are eating an orange. you are naked.
book 27: cursed bunny
book 28: almond
book 29: a tiny upward shove
book 30: ms ice sandwich
i have mixed feelings on books from the perspective of a child (children have a tendency to be annoying, which is their right, and the only thing more annoying than them is a weird adult doing a long saccharine literary impression of them for several hundred pages), but this was a thoughtful look at coming of age.
honestly i wish it was longer! in this glimpse (and i do mean glimpse, as this is like 7 pages long) we got very little of our protagonist's mother or his grandmother, or his life really at all, but maybe that was the point.
and as far as criticisms go, "i wish it was longer" is not a bad one.
bottom line: novellas gonna novella.
------------------------
currently-reading updates
"Ms Ice Sandwich seems to lack social graces, but our young narrator is totally smitten with her"
this is goals.
------------
reading books by asian authors for aapi month!
book 1: kim jiyoung, born 1982
book 2: siren queen
book 3: the heart principle
book 4: n.p.
book 5: the hole
book 6: set on you
book 7: disorientation
book 8: parade
book 9: if i had your face
book 10: joan is okay
book 11: strange weather in tokyo
book 12: sarong party girls
book 13: the wind-up bird chronicle
book 14: portrait of a thief
book 15: sophie go's lonely hearts club
book 16: chemistry
book 17: heaven
book 18: the atlas six
book 19: the remains of the day
book 20: is everyone hanging out without me? and other concerns
book 21: why not me?
book 22: when the tiger came down the mountain
book 23: the lies we tell
book 24: to paradise
book 25: pachinko
book 26: you are eating an orange. you are naked.
book 27: cursed bunny
book 28: almond
book 29: a tiny upward shove
book 30: ms ice sandwich
December 26, 2023
Three hundred forty-nine books, hundred thirty eight minutes, forty-two contemplations it took for me to start reading this one.
I remember lamenting how I couldn't get anything out of The Woman in the Purple Skirt, but this book has successfully presented me with another perspective on Japanese literature. Ms Ice Sandwich is a succession of wonderful, vividly depicted observations seen through the innocent eyes of a bright, attentive child, and is very effective despite being relatively short.
I quite enjoyed the book and found the ending to be pretty moving. Behind the whimsical tone and exquisite humor, there is melancholy about a wise and honest child's profound loneliness. In Ms Ice Sanwich, Kawakami finds a really beautiful language in which she expresses the difficulties of youth, particularly concerning emotion and attachment. And this is where the novel's greatest strength rests — as it transports the reader back to their childhood, forcing them to confront their youth.
Ultimately, this book did not shy away from the 'quirkiness' that is so prevalent in contemporary Japanese writing, yet it is always compelling and thought-provoking. If you want a short but gripping kind of read, Ms Ice Sandwich is a good start!
I remember lamenting how I couldn't get anything out of The Woman in the Purple Skirt, but this book has successfully presented me with another perspective on Japanese literature. Ms Ice Sandwich is a succession of wonderful, vividly depicted observations seen through the innocent eyes of a bright, attentive child, and is very effective despite being relatively short.
I quite enjoyed the book and found the ending to be pretty moving. Behind the whimsical tone and exquisite humor, there is melancholy about a wise and honest child's profound loneliness. In Ms Ice Sanwich, Kawakami finds a really beautiful language in which she expresses the difficulties of youth, particularly concerning emotion and attachment. And this is where the novel's greatest strength rests — as it transports the reader back to their childhood, forcing them to confront their youth.
Ultimately, this book did not shy away from the 'quirkiness' that is so prevalent in contemporary Japanese writing, yet it is always compelling and thought-provoking. If you want a short but gripping kind of read, Ms Ice Sandwich is a good start!
May 3, 2024
This is my second Mieko Kawakami book; the first was Heaven. I haven't gotten around to reading Breasts and Egg yet, but I want to do so soon..
Her teen characters are quite enjoyable to read about. Her handling of adolescent naivety and the harsher aspects of puberty is excellent. I liked how our MC loved Ms. Ice Sandwich from afar and how she is lovely in her own right. The friendship between MC and her friend Tutti was intriguing, and his exchanges with his dying grandmother were both emotional and heartbreaking. Despite the plot's simplicity, our protagonist's style of thinking and imagination make the story fascinating to read.
Overall short, sweet and enjoyable.
Her teen characters are quite enjoyable to read about. Her handling of adolescent naivety and the harsher aspects of puberty is excellent. I liked how our MC loved Ms. Ice Sandwich from afar and how she is lovely in her own right. The friendship between MC and her friend Tutti was intriguing, and his exchanges with his dying grandmother were both emotional and heartbreaking. Despite the plot's simplicity, our protagonist's style of thinking and imagination make the story fascinating to read.
Overall short, sweet and enjoyable.
May 16, 2023
I really loved this - so impactful for such a short book! It really lovingly and warmly looks at grief, growing up and friendship. I would highly recommend!
Rereading this several years later, I still love this book a lot.
Rereading this several years later, I still love this book a lot.
July 25, 2022
"But there's loads of hard stuff in life, and maybe when we're grown-ups, there's going to be tons more hard stuff to deal with. And when that happens, I'm going to tell myself I can't give in or freeze up and get discouraged and do nothing. I have to believe that."
perfectly mundane, neurodivergent coded and beautifully handled ♡
going on my favorites shelf!
perfectly mundane, neurodivergent coded and beautifully handled ♡
going on my favorites shelf!
August 28, 2024
Guess I picked up this short book at the right time!
The book is soooo readable and I was like “stop reading at once and close the book! It’s going to end!” And I did close the book after 30 pages and deliberately waited for two days to pick it up again. I just didn’t want to finish up reading the book in a matter of twenty minutes. I knew something perfect was happening there.
This book is for you if you love:
✔️short books/short stories/contemporary fiction
✔️middle grade books
✔️slice of life kind of reads
✔️relatable day to day characters
Keep your expectations low. I thought it would be an intense read like the author’s other books but well, I feel comforted.
There’s a part of grief but I would say this is a wholesome novella which deals with unlikely friendships and having a crush growing up; accepting people and our surrounding.
I find this book so cosy and comforting to read. I needed it.
The book is soooo readable and I was like “stop reading at once and close the book! It’s going to end!” And I did close the book after 30 pages and deliberately waited for two days to pick it up again. I just didn’t want to finish up reading the book in a matter of twenty minutes. I knew something perfect was happening there.
This book is for you if you love:
✔️short books/short stories/contemporary fiction
✔️middle grade books
✔️slice of life kind of reads
✔️relatable day to day characters
Keep your expectations low. I thought it would be an intense read like the author’s other books but well, I feel comforted.
There’s a part of grief but I would say this is a wholesome novella which deals with unlikely friendships and having a crush growing up; accepting people and our surrounding.
I find this book so cosy and comforting to read. I needed it.
August 7, 2020
I found this little novella strangely moving: Kawakami tells the story of a fourth grader who learns about loss. The little boy has a crush on the woman who sells sandwiches at his local store, and when a disturbing incident keeps him from visting her, his friend Tutti, who has lost her mother to an illness, teaches him an important lesson. At the same time, the unnamed boy is struggling with the fact that his ailing grandmother is getting worse.
Kawakami tells the story from the little boy's point of view, and she does a fantastic job depicting how he is trying to make sense of his feelings and explain his actions. A wonderful short text, and I'll defintely read more by this author.
Kawakami tells the story from the little boy's point of view, and she does a fantastic job depicting how he is trying to make sense of his feelings and explain his actions. A wonderful short text, and I'll defintely read more by this author.
July 24, 2018
2018 is the year I've fallen in love with novella's: I’ve read many great ones this year and Ms Ice Sandwich is maybe the best one so far. Only look at its funky cover: that already promises something good.
But the story itself is more gentle than funky. In it we learn about the innocent life of an 8-year old Japanese boy. He goes to school, spend time with his sick grandma, but mostly he tells us about Ms Ice Sandwich, the cool sandwich lady with her ice-blue eyelids (eyeshadow?)
However, when he hears his classmates comment about Ms Ice Sandwich, his fascination wavers. Is he stupid to find her cool?
“Like when you’re holding a cat and touch its soft belly. Or when a blanket brushes the top of your feet.
As I stand gazing at Ms Ice Sandwich, all of these things are happening to me.”
The plot itself might seem simple, but Mieko Kawakami succeeded in making the narrator’s voice a great balance of childish naivety and clear insight. Especially his conversation with his classmate Tutti surprised me with its emotional message.
In a way, this book feels like a Ghibli movie. No, not because the author is Japanese, but because the main character and the whole novel carry a ‘Ghibli’ feeling of hope with it that I absolutely loved.
A bit bittersweet, but overall a touching and joyful story - in less than 100 pages! What a wonderful surprise. :)
But the story itself is more gentle than funky. In it we learn about the innocent life of an 8-year old Japanese boy. He goes to school, spend time with his sick grandma, but mostly he tells us about Ms Ice Sandwich, the cool sandwich lady with her ice-blue eyelids (eyeshadow?)
However, when he hears his classmates comment about Ms Ice Sandwich, his fascination wavers. Is he stupid to find her cool?
“Like when you’re holding a cat and touch its soft belly. Or when a blanket brushes the top of your feet.
As I stand gazing at Ms Ice Sandwich, all of these things are happening to me.”
The plot itself might seem simple, but Mieko Kawakami succeeded in making the narrator’s voice a great balance of childish naivety and clear insight. Especially his conversation with his classmate Tutti surprised me with its emotional message.
In a way, this book feels like a Ghibli movie. No, not because the author is Japanese, but because the main character and the whole novel carry a ‘Ghibli’ feeling of hope with it that I absolutely loved.
A bit bittersweet, but overall a touching and joyful story - in less than 100 pages! What a wonderful surprise. :)
Read
March 11, 2020
7/3/20
What a great read! It's about a young boy, who becomes obsessed with a lady selling sandwiches in a supermarket, who he affectionately calls Ms Ice Sandwich. Kawakami so deftly shows the innocence and naivety of a young mind as they slowly have to deal with the uglier parts of life. Having said that, it's not a dark story - it leant more on the endearing side for me.
"There's loads of hard stuff in life, and maybe when we're grown-ups, there's going to be tons more hard stuff to deal with. And when that happens, I'm going to tell myself I can't give in or freeze up and get discouraged and do nothing. I have to believe that."
I loved this novella and am so excited to read more of Kawakami's work!
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June 7, 2022
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3 ½ stars
Unlike Breasts and Eggs and Heaven, Ms Ice Sandwich makes for a perfectly breezy read. This short story is narrated by an unnamed boy who is in 4th grade. His mother seems always too busy to pay attention to him and his elderly grandmother is dying. Unlike the protagonist of Heaven, the narrator in Ms Ice Sandwich seems to feel at ease at school and amongst his peers, in particular, a girl nicknamed Tutti. However, the person our protagonist is most drawn to is 'Ms Ice Sandwich', the woman who prepares sandwiches at the counter in his local supermarket. Ms Ice Sandwich, who is cool and seemingly unaffected by her surroundings, possess the kind of customer service skills that rival my own (ie. poor). Our boy, who is fascinated by her blue eyelids, her eyes, her face, and her aloofness, purchases sandwiches from her just so he can observe her more closely. His crush on her was very sweet. The casual tone of his narration, which often emphasised his age and naïveté, made his voice all the more authentic. His friendship with Tutti made for some very funny and endearing scenes, their film session in particular (that bit with Tutti replicating a certain sequence was a real gem).
While the story did have the usual amount of navel-gazing I have come to expect in a work by Kawakami, here it didn't feel out of place or unnecessary. If anything, it effectively conveys our narrator's feelings (his crush on Ms Ice Sandwich, his sadness over his grandmother) and youth.
If you are looking for a quick and uplifting tale of first love you should definitely consider giving Ms Ice Sandwich a try.
3 ½ stars
Unlike Breasts and Eggs and Heaven, Ms Ice Sandwich makes for a perfectly breezy read. This short story is narrated by an unnamed boy who is in 4th grade. His mother seems always too busy to pay attention to him and his elderly grandmother is dying. Unlike the protagonist of Heaven, the narrator in Ms Ice Sandwich seems to feel at ease at school and amongst his peers, in particular, a girl nicknamed Tutti. However, the person our protagonist is most drawn to is 'Ms Ice Sandwich', the woman who prepares sandwiches at the counter in his local supermarket. Ms Ice Sandwich, who is cool and seemingly unaffected by her surroundings, possess the kind of customer service skills that rival my own (ie. poor). Our boy, who is fascinated by her blue eyelids, her eyes, her face, and her aloofness, purchases sandwiches from her just so he can observe her more closely. His crush on her was very sweet. The casual tone of his narration, which often emphasised his age and naïveté, made his voice all the more authentic. His friendship with Tutti made for some very funny and endearing scenes, their film session in particular (that bit with Tutti replicating a certain sequence was a real gem).
While the story did have the usual amount of navel-gazing I have come to expect in a work by Kawakami, here it didn't feel out of place or unnecessary. If anything, it effectively conveys our narrator's feelings (his crush on Ms Ice Sandwich, his sadness over his grandmother) and youth.
If you are looking for a quick and uplifting tale of first love you should definitely consider giving Ms Ice Sandwich a try.
May 2, 2020
A short story about a Japanese boy who has an infatuation with the sandwich lady at the local supermarket. Everyday during the summer he buys an egg sandwich from 'Ms Ice Sandwich' so he can look at her face. The pair never speak, but our narrator is obsessed with her giant eyes, lined with electric blue.
This is really just a slice of life story about growing up, and the awkwardness that comes with it. From dealing with an old and infirm Grandmother, to a tentative friendship with peer Tutti, the protagonist has a lot on his plate. It was rather endearing, and I enjoyed it for what it was.
This is really just a slice of life story about growing up, and the awkwardness that comes with it. From dealing with an old and infirm Grandmother, to a tentative friendship with peer Tutti, the protagonist has a lot on his plate. It was rather endearing, and I enjoyed it for what it was.
June 13, 2024
Short story of a boy’s relationship with women, in particular dealing with obsession and how saying goodbye can have a positive impact on your life. And remember to cherish the valuable moments in your life. Parents don’t come out positively.
September 28, 2021
3,5. First friendship, first love, probably not the first loss and all in the same year - that's a lot for 4th grader to get through, but he manages it, with a little help of blue crayons and egg sandwiches. Personally, I'd prefer this story to be a bit longer to fully get into Author's writing and mood of it all but overall it was quite enjoyable and close to cute, I guess, but not in a bad way.
January 23, 2020
I am keen to read more foreign literature this year, and Japanese literature in particular is always a plus with me.
Mieko Kawakami is a new author to me, but I loved the sound of this adorable novella, and so picked it up when I saw it in my local library.
This charming story follows an unnamed 4th grader, who becomes obessed with a worker in a sandwich shop.
"Ms Ice Sandwich’s eyelids are always painted with a thick layer of a kind of electric blue, exactly the same colour as those hard ice lollies that have been sitting in our freezer since last summer."
However, when a friend of his at school becomes aware of his infatuation, she tries her best to get him to speak to her - with heartwarming results.
I love the way Japanese writers use the minutiae of every day life, and highlight elements that other writers might miss. It makes the writing even more pure, somehow.
Mieko Kawakami is a new author to me, but I loved the sound of this adorable novella, and so picked it up when I saw it in my local library.
This charming story follows an unnamed 4th grader, who becomes obessed with a worker in a sandwich shop.
"Ms Ice Sandwich’s eyelids are always painted with a thick layer of a kind of electric blue, exactly the same colour as those hard ice lollies that have been sitting in our freezer since last summer."
However, when a friend of his at school becomes aware of his infatuation, she tries her best to get him to speak to her - with heartwarming results.
I love the way Japanese writers use the minutiae of every day life, and highlight elements that other writers might miss. It makes the writing even more pure, somehow.
September 19, 2021
‘So Ms Ice Sandwich’s face that I look at almost every day was made by plastic surgery. That’s not Ms Ice Sandwich’s real face…What does failed plastic surgery mean? One of the girls said that if it was her, she’d die. And that Ms Ice Sandwich would never be able to get married, and that her life was over.’
Between a 4 and a 5-star rating – a great concept; a light read – and/but also felt a bit lacking in terms of characterisation (as per usual when it comes to Kawakami’s work). But compared to her other work, this one triumphs them all. I’ve never enjoyed Kawakami’s writing enough to call myself a fan until I read this. Stories with child protagonists, stories about adolescence, and coming-of-age stories are not usually what I reach for. But I’m glad to have read this thanks to S. , because I surely wouldn’t have had otherwise (bearing in mind my previous not-so-great experiences of Kawakami’s novels). A brilliant work of literature written in the perspective of a child – experiencing and expressing the earliest feelings of non-familial love, attraction and desire (although one can argue that it has some sexual undertones, I personally couldn’t see it that way). Even though the novella brings about bouts of nostalgia, I couldn’t empathise with the characters as my childhood experiences wildly differed. The novella read like a short anime film – a kind of sweet, slice-of-life kind of production. Kawakami uses the theme of love and death in the novella very appropriately; and the narrative tone (which I usually do not like in her other novels) worked brilliantly in this one.
‘Ms Ice Sandwich just stands where she is, barely acknowledging the man, though she might have laughed a little. Uh-oh, I think, as in a flash the man comes storming back to the glass case, the manager chasing after him. Is she taking the piss? the man screams at the manager, then he looks square at Ms Ice Sandwich—speaking loudly and clearly, Listen to me, you ugly cow. I come here every day to buy my groceries, and every day I have to see your painted monster face. Butt-ugly females like you, you think you’re better than anybody else with your facial reconstruction crap.’
‘Crush’ brings to mind something directly romantic with a usually sexual undertone. I think we can be interested in people without wanting to ‘possess’ or sexualise them. Subscribing to a default way of feeling feelings might be the easier option for some, but (perhaps a biased view) I think it’s so unnatural and grossly robotic. Tutti, the protagonist’s gal pal in the novel is such a well-written character. I thought Kawakami was going to lean towards a conventional pattern of childhood love/‘romance’ and was happily surprised when she doesn’t. Unlike in Paterson’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia, the primary friendship in the story wasn’t cruelly side-lined or taken advantage of as a stepping stone to a ‘romantic’ endeavour. Romance is – afterall, not a ‘goal’/‘achievement’.
‘I had the thought that to create a proper love song, you need to confront a certain kind of shallowness and selfishness. To "fall in love" is fundamentally lonely, thinking things like "What can I do to get closer to them? What should I do to get into their sight? What should I do to be able to interact with them?" Rather than trying to understand the other person, it's a time where you think only about yourself. Wanting to do something for them, wanting to make them happy - things such as that aren't the essence of falling in love, I feel.’ – Yonezu Kenshi, natalie music
While reading Kawakami’s novella, I’ve thought about what Kenshi Yonezu said in an interview with regards to the narcissism that saturates love songs, and the very act of an infatuation – the beginning of a romantic relationship in general. In particular about how it’s a very selfish act, and it has to do more with oneself than the other person. He goes as far as to insist that if you’re really thinking of making the other person feel good/happy, then it’s not really a romantic infatuation. Essentially love songs/love poems and other similar kinds of dedications are more about the creators themselves – their feelings – their views on the person they claim they love – and it also usually wavers between a sense of idolisation and only a fragment of what may be ‘true’ – which can be mildly dehumanising. So, with this thought in mind, the protagonist in the novel was figuring out his own feelings about the world around him through his strange attraction/ mild obsession with the sandwich seller. It’s quite sweet rather than gross because in the later section of the book he becomes distantly protective of her, yet he feels helpless about it all – and/but doesn’t feel like she is his for the taking. He lets go because he understands that that is all that is to it – it’s the aesthetic/version of her that he’s made up in his mind that he’s interested in. I think that was so sweet, esp. because it’s often something that even grown men and women are slow to realise.
‘Doo-Wop and I never talk to these girls. It’s like there’s a barrier of barbed wire or something, except it’s invisible, that keeps us away from them. Well, it’s not as if we really have anything to say to them… The other day when we had to make a newspaper, we ended up in the same group, and they spent the whole time just talking to each other and putting fancy stickers on their notebooks, and then running off to the toilet maybe to look at themselves in the mirror; they didn’t contribute at all to the newspaper, but they’re not the sort of kids you can tell off for stuff like that, they’re too stuck-up, you know, kind of hard to get along with.’
It makes me think of the protagonist’s gender – why did Kawakami choose a boy instead of a girl? Is it because a girl would never work with the storyline she had in mind? Have I had the similar feelings for a grown man when I was the protagonist’s age? The simple answer is no. But then, I also thought about – what about grown women? None as well. But I believe a queer perspective(s) in Kawakami’s work would surely make it a more glorious read.
Kawakami’s novella also makes me wonder about the ways we engage/build relationships/friendships – and of the influence and importance of the environment we grow up in? Would we still be friends with people we are friends with it wasn’t so convenient? I think we all form our early (and also late) feelings of desire very differently, and I thought Kawakami’s portrayal of it was quite interesting. A friend casually told me once when we were out drinking (pre-Covid) about how he thinks high-school (romantic) relationships ‘don’t count’ as proper relationships. I can’t help but think that it was hard for him to empathise because he lacked the experience; and I found it hard to explain to him what he can never experience ever again. And thinking about that now, I think Kawakami’s novel just goes to show how important adolescent and teenage experiences are; and of how they are bound to affect the way you perceive/build and sustain/maintain relationships – or even as simple as how you ‘love’ later in life. Personally, I think it’s never too young to love (to be clear – not referring to anything sexual – that’s a whole other discussion). I think if given the opportunity, one should always love well and often no matter how cringey that sounds.
‘Blood comes spurting out, and I wonder how that feels. I wonder how heavy the bags were stuffed with all that money. When they use the money will somebody know that it was stolen? I’m thinking about all these things as I try to keep watching all the action and confusion on the screen. Finally the gunfight ends and the car drives away, and then all of a sudden it’s a completely different scene and Tutti lets out a big sigh, grabs the remote, and pauses the DVD.’
In one of Kawakami’s interviews available on YT, here , she was asked about her thoughts on female sexuality which I found quite complementary to the theme of adolescent ‘love’ in ‘Ms Ice Sandwich’. She talked about how she’s always wondering about how and when is it precisely/ at what point in a girl’s life when she suddenly wakes up to fully realise that she’s living in a girl’s – or rather a woman’s body. And she goes on to talk about how even as a grown woman, there are certain moments, during the half-conscious moments of waking up from a deep sleep – in a sort of peaceful haze – that she almost forgets that she’s a ‘woman’. A ‘woman’ – a role one never really consented to but forced upon. This makes me wonder about what other readers think of ‘the movie night’ in the novella. Was the protagonist sexually curious, even if in the most subtle and innocent ways? Is this some form of fictionalised male gaze? Kawakami’s writing never seems to give the readers enough to properly ‘evaluate’ the situation/events. I had previously found that careless and somewhat frustrating, but perhaps leaving most things quite open in this novella was the right move – making it somehow more interesting and thought-provoking.
‘I wonder if I’ll get the chance to apologize to Tutti…Probably not. This whole thing will probably just fade away. People always forget about these little things, but I believe that each one stays somewhere deep in everyone’s heart, and without noticing it they grow and harden, until one day they cause something terrible to happen.’
The only song that comes to mind when I was reading Kawakami's novella is Yonezu Kenshi’s ‘Gray and Blue’/ Haiiro to Ao’ which shares the same theme of friendship and love. I find that I definitely think about friendship break-ups more than romantic ones, but that doesn’t mean that I value romantic relationships less – just differently. As someone with more guy pals than gal pals, I always appreciate novels with stories without a ‘forced’ romantic subplot between the main characters of different gender/sex. Overall, Kawakami’s novel is worthy of everyone’s time. I wish I’d read this one before I read her other books; I might have been able to appreciate her other ones more if I had started with this wonderful novella.
‘The automatic doors open and out pour people holding white plastic shopping bags stuffed with food. I guess they’re on their way home.’
August 3, 2018
I googled 'Japanese novellas' and it came up with these new Pushkin press Japanese novellas. I picked this one first 'cause this one was shortest of all. I'm not the sort of person to use words like cute, sweet and all that, but this was that. The writing in this book is really childish, but again the narrator is fourth grader, so it just works fine. Blurb promises lost innocence and loss, but it's not that deep. It's simply, you know, well, cute I guess. And sweet.
May 13, 2023
Nie ważne co napisze Mieko, ja i tak będę zachwycona.
March 13, 2018
Incredible.
EXPERTLY
translated (and I know I'm very particular, I can't help it - see my review of Dandelions たんぽぽ). I devoured this sandwich hungrily and it was delicious, thank you very much. Ms Ice Sandwich was exactly what I needed when I needed it. I've never laughed so hard and felt such loss in the span of, what, two pages? toward the end.
What an interesting book.
It's not every generation that we have a translator who can climb inside the psyche of the writer and expose the writer's perspective, style, and tone without creating a barrier that reflects the translator's own mind to the reader thereby distorting the writer's work. In this way, Louise Heal Kawai reminds me of Seidensticker. But in many ways, I get the feeling that Kawai might be in a league all her own. I intend (and am very excited) to read each of Kawai's translations. I'd recommend that you do the same.
What an interesting book.
It's not every generation that we have a translator who can climb inside the psyche of the writer and expose the writer's perspective, style, and tone without creating a barrier that reflects the translator's own mind to the reader thereby distorting the writer's work. In this way, Louise Heal Kawai reminds me of Seidensticker. But in many ways, I get the feeling that Kawai might be in a league all her own. I intend (and am very excited) to read each of Kawai's translations. I'd recommend that you do the same.
Shelved as 'wishlist'
February 24, 2020$9.99 for a 90-page book???
*emoji that looks like Edvard Munch's The Scream*
*emoji that looks like Edvard Munch's The Scream*
October 2, 2022
Ms. Ice Sandwich is the first book I’ve read by Mieko Kawakami and it was beautiful. A young boy is infatuated with a woman who makes sandwiches at a local grocery story. He loves everything about her especially her eyes. This story truly touched my heart.
I look forward to reading another Kawakami book soon.
I look forward to reading another Kawakami book soon.
October 17, 2017
The second book from Pushkin Press's Japanese Novellas series which I am going to review today is Ms Ice Sandwich by Kawakami Mieko (yes, she shares the same last name as Kawakami Hiromi whose Record of a Night Too Brief I reviewed last week, but the two authors have no relation whatsoever as far as I am concerned).
I had never read anything by Kawakami Mieko before, but I have to admit that this novella caught my interest from the outset. It might have been very brief and left me yearning for more, but I developed an instant liking to her quirky yet utterly captivating writing style.
The story revolves around a young boy whose name and exact age are never really revealed (I'm guessing he's a junior high schooler but I could be wrong), who has fallen in love with the lady who makes and sells sandwiches at the supermarket. His innocent infatuation drives him to visit her sandwich stand every so often just so he can catch a glimpse of her face. When he descibes the lady, he places specific emphasis on the beautiful characteristics of her face and her "ice-blue eyelids" which earned her the nickname Ms Ice Sandwich.
The only people who know about the boy's infatuation are his grandma, who is stuck in her bed, unable to move and to whom the protagonist often entrusts his deepest thoughts and feelings, and his best friend from school, Tutti, with who he seems to start developing a deeper relationship as the story progresses. During one of the boy's visits to Ms Ice Sandwich, he hears one of her customers shouting ugly words at her about her face, which he also happens to overhear from some of his female classmates the day after the event. The author does not really spend any time weaving a mystery around the lady's face (something which I rather expected to happen), she chooses to focus on the boy's feelings and perceptions of the woman instead.
Ultimately, this is not at all a love story and it was never supposed to be one. Instead, it is a fascinating, touching and quiet coming-of-age story with a plethora of lessons to be taught and inspiring passages. One of my favourites was from Tutti's motivational speech to our protagonist:
Another issue this short novella tackles is, of course, difference and how people and the society deal with people who are "different". While I felt that the author could have expanded a lot more on this issue rather than just leaving it as a side-issue, perhaps nothing more was needed to be said. One thing I have definitely learned from reading Japanese literature is that, sometimes, subtlety is much more powerful.
That brings me to the last thing I want to discuss about this book. The translation was excellent and flowed very naturally, so very much so that at some point I forgot I was reading Japanese and not Anglophone literature. Not having read the original, I cannot know whether that was a feature of the original text itself or whether it was the translator's magic, but I was quite satisfied with it.
Overall, Ms Ice Sandwich is a very heart-warming and quiet novella about growing up, first love, loss and learning to cope with all these new feelings which inundate kids at that age all of a sudden. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with no exception, as you are certain to gain something upon reading it regardless of your literary preferences.
This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
I had never read anything by Kawakami Mieko before, but I have to admit that this novella caught my interest from the outset. It might have been very brief and left me yearning for more, but I developed an instant liking to her quirky yet utterly captivating writing style.
The story revolves around a young boy whose name and exact age are never really revealed (I'm guessing he's a junior high schooler but I could be wrong), who has fallen in love with the lady who makes and sells sandwiches at the supermarket. His innocent infatuation drives him to visit her sandwich stand every so often just so he can catch a glimpse of her face. When he descibes the lady, he places specific emphasis on the beautiful characteristics of her face and her "ice-blue eyelids" which earned her the nickname Ms Ice Sandwich.
The only people who know about the boy's infatuation are his grandma, who is stuck in her bed, unable to move and to whom the protagonist often entrusts his deepest thoughts and feelings, and his best friend from school, Tutti, with who he seems to start developing a deeper relationship as the story progresses. During one of the boy's visits to Ms Ice Sandwich, he hears one of her customers shouting ugly words at her about her face, which he also happens to overhear from some of his female classmates the day after the event. The author does not really spend any time weaving a mystery around the lady's face (something which I rather expected to happen), she chooses to focus on the boy's feelings and perceptions of the woman instead.
Ultimately, this is not at all a love story and it was never supposed to be one. Instead, it is a fascinating, touching and quiet coming-of-age story with a plethora of lessons to be taught and inspiring passages. One of my favourites was from Tutti's motivational speech to our protagonist:
If you want to see somebody you have to make plans to meet, or even make plans to make plans, and next thing you end up not seeing them anymore. That's what's going to happen. If you don't see somebody, you end up never seeing them. And then there's going to be nothing left of them at all.
Another issue this short novella tackles is, of course, difference and how people and the society deal with people who are "different". While I felt that the author could have expanded a lot more on this issue rather than just leaving it as a side-issue, perhaps nothing more was needed to be said. One thing I have definitely learned from reading Japanese literature is that, sometimes, subtlety is much more powerful.
That brings me to the last thing I want to discuss about this book. The translation was excellent and flowed very naturally, so very much so that at some point I forgot I was reading Japanese and not Anglophone literature. Not having read the original, I cannot know whether that was a feature of the original text itself or whether it was the translator's magic, but I was quite satisfied with it.
Overall, Ms Ice Sandwich is a very heart-warming and quiet novella about growing up, first love, loss and learning to cope with all these new feelings which inundate kids at that age all of a sudden. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with no exception, as you are certain to gain something upon reading it regardless of your literary preferences.
This book was provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley.
November 5, 2022
Mieko Kawakami’s Ms Ice Sandwich is a bittersweet novella about growing up, longing and loss. Her Breasts and Eggs left me with very mixed feelings, but luckily this one exceeded my expectations. The language is simple, yet subtle and sometimes playful. A wonderful surprise♩
Bilingual reading in Japanese and English (mostly in Japanese since the language is so simple, but English translation seems to be brilliantly done).
4/5
Bilingual reading in Japanese and English (mostly in Japanese since the language is so simple, but English translation seems to be brilliantly done).
4/5
November 27, 2020
3.5/5stars
This was very cute and wholesome - definitely for fans of The Convenience Store Woman - but it didn't WOW me. Still waiting for Kawakami to truly impress me, but she is overall pretty good
This was very cute and wholesome - definitely for fans of The Convenience Store Woman - but it didn't WOW me. Still waiting for Kawakami to truly impress me, but she is overall pretty good
September 19, 2017
1.5 stars
I enjoyed the bumbling narrative but I'm either too thick to 'get' this or it just didn't translate into the humorous love story it was supposed to, for me at least.
I enjoyed the bumbling narrative but I'm either too thick to 'get' this or it just didn't translate into the humorous love story it was supposed to, for me at least.
February 12, 2020
This book was a quick novella about a teenage boy having a crush on a girl working in a sandwich shop.
There’s also more to it like his relationship with his grandma, strange things going on at home and his best friend Tutti at school.
I did enjoy some parts. Innocence of the boy, the friendship with Tutti and the end was very heartfelt.
It didn’t have a big emotional impact on me as much as others and I’m not so keen on ‘slice of life’ narratives, so it was good to read, but it’s not a book that will stay with me long time 😊
There’s also more to it like his relationship with his grandma, strange things going on at home and his best friend Tutti at school.
I did enjoy some parts. Innocence of the boy, the friendship with Tutti and the end was very heartfelt.
It didn’t have a big emotional impact on me as much as others and I’m not so keen on ‘slice of life’ narratives, so it was good to read, but it’s not a book that will stay with me long time 😊
December 31, 2022
Yay💃, the last book for 2022! The next year will be for Japanese & Korean literature for sure🔥
Happy new year🎉🎄, my GR friends; I hope this year was gentle on you and that the new one brings you so many wonderful surprises 🎁.
سنة سعيدة يا أصدقاء 🎉
Bonne année les amis 🎉
🌜❤🌛
Happy new year🎉🎄, my GR friends; I hope this year was gentle on you and that the new one brings you so many wonderful surprises 🎁.
سنة سعيدة يا أصدقاء 🎉
Bonne année les amis 🎉
🌜❤🌛
August 22, 2020
Ms Ice Sandwich is a short story with a coming of age theme. The unnamed mc is narrating his story, which is prompted by his adoration for the woman who works at the sandwich stall at the local market.
The second part of the book, with the weaving of the school life along with the mc's love life, as well as the conclusion of the story, was pretty much the best and masterfully handled and written.
However, the start was slow and kind of boring. It was difficult to keep the interest high, as the narration felt flat and uneventful.
Still, it was nice short story.
The second part of the book, with the weaving of the school life along with the mc's love life, as well as the conclusion of the story, was pretty much the best and masterfully handled and written.
However, the start was slow and kind of boring. It was difficult to keep the interest high, as the narration felt flat and uneventful.
Still, it was nice short story.
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