During that time, she took the pseudonym 'Banana' after her love of banana flowers, a name she recognizes as both 'cute' and 'purposefully androgynous.'ĭespite her success, Yoshimoto remains a down-to-earth and obscure figure. She graduated from Nihon University's Art College, majoring in Literature. Growing up in a liberal family, she learned the value of independence from a young age. (See also 吉本芭娜娜 (Chinese).)Īlong with having a famous father, poet Takaaki Yoshimoto, Banana's sister, Haruno Yoiko, is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. And as the two young lovers overcome their troubled past to discover hope in the beautiful solitude of the lake in the country- side, it’s also one of her most moving.īanana Yoshimoto ( よしもとばなな or 吉本ばなな) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本真秀子), a Japanese contemporary writer. With its echoes of the infamous, real-life Aum Shinrikyo cult (the group that released poison gas in the Tokyo subway system), The Lake unfolds as the most powerful novel Banana Yoshimoto has written. Visiting two of his friends who live a monastic life beside a beautiful lake, she begins to piece together a series of clues that lead her to suspect his experience may have had something to do with a bizarre religious cult. They eventually embark on a hesitant romance, until she learns that he has been the victim of some form of childhood trauma. until she realizes she’s gotten used to seeing a young man across the street staring out his window, too. She finds herself spending too much time staring out her window, though.

It tells the tale of a young woman who moves to Tokyo after the death of her mother, hoping to get over her grief and start a career as a graphic artist. While The Lake shows off many of the features that have made Banana Yoshimoto famous-a cast of vivid and quirky characters, simple yet nuanced prose, a tight plot with an upbeat pace-it’s also one of the most darkly mysterious books she’s ever written. A major literary sensation is back with a quietly stunning tour de force.

The lake by banana yoshimoto