East Asian Literary Fiction

Sweet Bean Paste

by Alison Watts

Sentaro, a failed writer managing a small dorayaki shop, hires elderly Tokue, whose extraordinary bean paste transforms his business and his understanding of life. This gentle, deeply moving novel explores dignity, prejudice, and the small beauties that give meaning to existence, set against the quiet rhythm of a Tokyo confectionery and the changing seasons.

More East Asian Literary Fiction

• La Parfaite Lumière — Eiji Yoshikawa
• The Ghost Bride — Yangsze Choo
• Molka — Monika Kim
• The Temple of the Golden Pavilion — Yukio Mishima
• 空の境界（上） — Kinoko Nasu
• The Premonition — Banana Yoshimoto
• Now You're One of Us — Asa Nonami
• Taiwan Travelogue — Yáng Shuāng-zǐ

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