
Sentaro has failed He has a criminal record drinks too much & his dream of becoming a writer is just a distant memory With only the blossoming of the cherry trees to mark the passing of time he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki a type of pancake filled with sweet bean paste But everything is about to change Into his life comes Tokue an elderly woman with disfigured hands & a troubled past Tokue makes the best sweet bean paste Sentaro has ever tasted She begins to teach him her craft but as their friendship flourishes social pressures become impossible to escape & Tokue's dark secret is revealedwith devastating consequences Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about the burden of the past & the redemptive power of friendship Translated into English for the first time Durian Sukegawa's beautiful prose is capturing hearts all over the world