Sweet Bean Paste

'I'm in story heaven with this book.' Cecelia Ahern, author ofP.S. I Love You A charming tale of friendship, love and loneliness in contemporary Japan Sentaro has failed. He has a criminal record,drinks too much, and his dream of becoming awriter is just a distant memory. With only theblossoming of the cherry trees to mark thepassing of time, he spends his days in a tiny confectionery shop selling dorayaki, a type ofpancake filled with sweet bean paste. But everything is about to change. Into his life comes Tokue, an elderly womanwith disfigured hands and a troubled past.Tokue makes the best sweet bean pasteSentaro has ever tasted. She begins toteach him her craft, but as their friendshipflourishes, social pressures become impossibleto escape and Tokue's dark secret is revealed, with devastating consequences. Sweet Bean Paste is a moving novel about theburden of the past and the redemptive powerof friendship. Translated into English for the first time, Durian Sukegawa's beautiful proseis capturing hearts all over the world.